A €2.4 million PEACEPLUS-funded project, launched this week, will develop a new set of comparable all-island public health indicators to support better policymaking and improve health outcomes.
The three-year All-Island Public Health Knowledge Hub (PHKH) project was officially launched in Dundalk on Wednesday, 24 June, by John O’Dowd MLA, Minister for Finance, and Jack Chambers TD, Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation.
The cross-border initiative is led by the All Island Institute of Public Health (IPH) in partnership with the Bamford Centre for Mental Health and Wellbeing at Ulster University and the Global Brain Health Institute at Trinity College Dublin.
The project is funded by PEACEPLUS, a programme managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB), and is co-financed by the Department of Finance and the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, as Accountable Departments.
A core deliverable will be the development of a new digital platform that will securely and confidentially host new and existing public health data, benefiting policymakers, public health professionals, researchers, community organisations, and the wider public.
It will gather directly comparable population level data by developing a new all-island survey to capture and measure a range of public health indicators among the adult population in both jurisdictions.
The initiative will strengthen the public health evidence base, inform long-term policies, and highlight potential opportunities for coordinated responses to shared public health challenges.
Launching the initiative, Ministers John O’Dowd MLA and Jack Chambers TD highlighted the importance of cross-border collaboration.
Minister of Finance John O’Dowd MLA said: “I am pleased my department has been able to support this cross-border initiative. The Public Health Knowledge Hub represents a major investment in evidence-based policymaking. By creating directly comparable public health data for the first time and making it more accessible through a new digital platform, this initiative will provide valuable insights to inform long-term decision-making and support healthier communities across the island.”
Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, Jack Chambers TD, said: “I welcome the launch of the All-Island Public Health Knowledge Hub, which has been funded under the EU PEACEPLUS programme. The Public Health Knowledge Hub addresses the lack of standardised public health data across Ireland and Northern Ireland by creating a single, publicly accessible all-island public health data portal.
“In this way, it supports greater cross-border cooperation and will improve understanding of the public health challenges which are common across the island. The Public Health Knowledge Hub demonstrates the positive impacts for the public health evidence base, which can be achieved through effective North-South collaboration.”
Speaking at the launch, Gina McIntyre, Chief Executive of the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB), said: “The Public Health Knowledge Hub is an excellent example of how PEACEPLUS is supporting practical cooperation across Ireland and Northern Ireland. Improving how public health data is collected, shared and used, this project addresses a real barrier to joint working. By creating a new, consistent base of evidence, policies will be better informed, leading to better outcomes for all citizens.”
The PHKH Project Partners said the initiative will generate new comparable data that will benefit a broad range of users, including policymakers, researchers, public health practitioners, and community organisations across the island.
IPH Director of Ageing Research and Development, Professor Roger O’Sullivan, said: “The All Island Institute of Public Health is excited to lead this all-island initiative, which will collect a new set of comparable public health indicators across Ireland and Northern Ireland, facilitating more robust comparisons between both jurisdictions.
“The Public Health Knowledge Hub will be designed with users to the fore so that public health data will be more accessible. By developing a centralised and harmonised evidence base, the Public Health Knowledge Hub will offer a more coherent picture of population health and support better decision-making across the island.”
Professor Gerard Leavey, Director of the Bamford Centre for Mental Health and Wellbeing at Ulster University, commented: “Providing robust, reliable data is vital for public health and health services research in all countries. There is much to be done to improve the quality and access to these data across the island of Ireland.
“The Public Health Knowledge Hub provides a unique and excellent opportunity to strengthen health information systems, improve our understanding of population health, and support efforts to tackle health inequalities. The evidence generated through this collaboration will help inform policy and contribute to better health outcomes for communities across the island.”
Professor Iracema Leroi, Site Director of the Global Brain Health Institute at Trinity College Dublin and Professor in Geriatric Psychiatry at Trinity College Dublin, added: “Data are among the most powerful tools we have to improve health, including brain health, which underpins how individuals and societies function and thrive. By harmonising public health data across Ireland and Northern Ireland, this project will help us see more clearly, act more effectively and learn together – because better health depends on looking beyond borders.”
PEACEPLUS is a cross-border funding Programme designed to support peace and prosperity across Northern Ireland and the border counties of Ireland. The total value of PEACEPLUS is €1.14 billion. PEACEPLUS is co-funded by the European Union, the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the Government of Ireland, and the Northern Ireland Executive.
The Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB) is a North South Body with the statutory remit for managing EU funding programmes within Northern Ireland and the border counties of Ireland.
