25/06/2025

New £550,000 Fund Opens For 5G Innovation Projects

A new funding competition has been launched to support local businesses and industries across the Belfast region in leveraging the transformative power of 5G and other digital technologies.

Organisations can now apply for grants ranging from £50,000 to £100,000 for innovative projects that utilise advanced wireless connectivity to deliver significant economic, social, and environmental impacts.

This competition is a key component of the Belfast 5G Innovation Region (5GIR) programme, an initiative led by Belfast City Council's City Innovation Office. The Belfast 5GIR aims to foster the adoption of 5G among businesses, academia, and the public sector, ultimately driving growth in the region's digital economy.

The funding is open to businesses and organisations with operations in any of the six Belfast Region City Deal council areas: Antrim and Newtownabbey, Ards and North Down, Belfast, Lisburn and Castlereagh, Mid and East Antrim, and Newry, Mourne and Down.

An online information session for prospective applicants is scheduled for 10:30 on Thursday, 26 June 2025. The deadline for applications is 8 September 2025.
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Councillor Natasha Brennan, Chair of Belfast City Council's Strategic, Policy and Resources Committee, emphasised the programme's importance: "The Belfast 5GIR programme is about ensuring that our local businesses and industries are well placed to benefit from the transformative effect of advanced wireless connectivity. We know that 5G will drive growth and innovation across many sectors, including health, advanced manufacturing, transport and logistics, creative industries, AgriTech, and public services. We want to make sure that, as a region, our businesses are getting early opportunities to explore its potential within their own sector."

UK Telecoms Minister Sir Chris Bryant commented: "With this great initiative, the Belfast City Region is going to catapult local industries into the digital fast lane. Innovation that emerges from this project will turbocharge the government's Plan for Change, helping to modernise sectors from transport to the creative industries, putting Northern Ireland firmly on the map as a hotspot for technological ingenuity."

Adrian Johnston, Belfast Innovation Commissioner and Chair of the Digital Advisory Board for the Belfast Region City Deal, highlighted the strategic foundation 5G provides: "Over the next few years, 5G will become the dominant wireless connectivity technology across many parts of our economy from logistics through to health care. It's a strategic foundation for the region's economic growth plans. This competition is a great opportunity for businesses and high-growth industry sectors to combine the unique benefits of 5G with digital technologies, such as IoT, Artificial Intelligence, robotics and immersive applications, to deliver 5G use cases."

The Belfast 5GIR programme receives funding from the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology as part of its wider UK 5G Innovation Regions programme. Subject to business case approval, the Belfast Region City Deal will also contribute up to £250,000 towards this funding competition, bringing the total available funding to £550,000. Successful projects are expected to be completed by 31 March 2026.

For more information and to apply, interested organisations can visit www.smartbelfast.city.


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