queen's university belfast - Neighbourhood Retailer

NI Chamber and QUB in new partnership to deliver digital and cyber series

Caroline Rainey — Wed, 03 Apr 2024 11:57:24 +0000

Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NI Chamber) and Queen’s University, Belfast (QUB) have formed a new partnership, which will see the organisations work together to deliver a series of events, specifically focused on digitisation and cyber security in a business context.

Over the course of the next 12 months, it will cover themes including AI and innovation, digital transformation for productivity improvement and cyber security in the context of risk management.

There will also be a strand specifically directed towards university students, connecting those studying in relevant academic fields with the business community.

The series kicks-off on Thursday 11^th April in Titanic Hotel, Belfast when speakers from Analytics Engines and QUB will discuss how companies of all sizes can learn to create and elevate data strategies, assess their current data maturity levels and understand the fundamentals of analytics. Attendees will also hear experts discuss local perspectives and global trends in AI, as well as how AI can be leveraged for competitive advantage.

SIGNIFICANT OPPORTUNITY

Launching the new series, Suzanne Wylie, Chief Executive, NI Chamber said: “Businesses of all sizes are dealing with increasingly large and complex volumes of data. Understanding how to leverage it presents significant opportunity in terms of forecasting, efficiencies, and driving global competitiveness. Of course, we know too that it comes with additional responsibilities and considerations around cyber security.

“Given the scale of both risk and reward, helping our member businesses to really understand data in a highly digitised global trading environment is vital, so we are delighted to have secured QUB as our series partner.

“This series is pitched very specifically for NI-based businesses and is an ideal peer-learning opportunity for SMEs who want to harness their data effectively, as well as finance, IT, marketing and sales professionals, in addition to Directors and CEOs seeking to understand the strategic use and importance of data. Already, there has been a significant level of interest in participating, which is further demonstration of its importance.”

Queen’s University Belfast is known for its expertise in the areas of health, fintech, cyber security, and data analytics, and is home to a new Cyber-AI Hub at the Centre of Secure Information Technologies (CSIT) funded by the UK Government’s £18.9 million investment in NI’s Cyber Security industry.

‘Given the scale of both risk and reward, helping our member businesses to really understand data in a highly digitised global trading environment is vital’

Joanne Mallon, Business Engagement Manager, Queen’s University Belfast, added: “Queen’s University Belfast has been a proud patron and partner of the NI Chamber of Commerce and Industry for many years and I am delighted that we will continue to strengthen our long-standing relationship with them and their members in 2024 through the delivery of the Digital and Cyber series of seminars.

“Understanding the power of data and the importance of cyber security is a major challenge facing businesses across all sectors. At Queen’s, addressing real world need is at the heart of our civic mission, and this programme will offer local business access to a wide range of experts within the University, whilst also facilitating peer-to-peer learning.

“We are looking forward to working directly with NI Chamber members over the next 12 months through the Digital and Cyber series and to help more Northern Irish businesses use data and cyber security as a key to unlocking valuable insights, protect against potential risks and threats, stay ahead of emerging trends and gain competitive advantage.”

A limited number of places are remaining the first event in the series ‘Elevating your data strategy’ on Thursday 11^th April at 10am in Titanic Hotel, Belfast. It is free for NI Chamber members and costs £60 + VAT for non-members. To secure a place, register on the NI Chamber website.

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Queen’s University and Finnebrogue launch £20,000 scholarship in memory of Denis Lynn

Linda Stewart — Mon, 22 Aug 2022 09:24:36 +0000

Queen’s University and Finnebrogue Artisan have launched a post-graduate scholarship in memory of Denis Lynn, the founder of the Northern Ireland food company.

Denis Lynn Scholarship for Sustainable Food Innovation is a bursary of £20,000 towards tuition fees and living expenses for a student on the Advanced Food Safety Masters degree, within the School of Biological Sciences and Institute for Global Food Security (IGFS), at Queen’s University Belfast.

The award will include an internship at Finnebrogue in County Down, one at the international non-profit organisation Foundation Earth and a third placement at an internationally renowned food producer.

The fund was established in memory of Denis Lynn, who founded Finnebrogue, one of the province’s most successful food companies, and later Foundation Earth. He died tragically last year.

There will be one Denis Lynn scholar at Queen’s annually and that student will have the opportunity to secure a job with the Co Down food company, subject to completing their MSc.

Christine Lynn, Denis’s wife and a Finnebrogue director, said: “Denis was a visionary who worked tirelessly in his personal life and work life to deliver positive change for the planet and people. It is our hope that this scholarship will support others with the same ambition.

“Denis wanted to build a more sustainable food industry and what better way to honour his memory than through continued research and development in this field.”

Denis made his name farming deer on the Finnebrogue estate, outside Downpatrick, and supplying venison to restaurants and retail outlets throughout the UK and Ireland.

In 2017, Finnebrogue made headlines with its Naked Bacon range, processed without nitrites, which sells in most UK supermarkets. It has since expanded to include sausages, ham and other lines.

Some of the scientific research behind the initiative, linking nitrites in processed meat with a higher incidence of cancer, was carried out at IGFS.

Finnebrogue also diversified into grass-fed Wagyu beef burgers, plant-based protein and sausages. More recently, Lynn was the brainchild behind Foundation Earth, a non-profit, international organisation intended to reduce the environmental impact of the global food and drink industry.

It certifies the sustainability credentials of products from participating businesses and displays an ‘Eco Impact’ rating on the front of the food packaging.

Professor Chris Elliott OBE, founder of IGFS at Queen’s and chair of the scientific advisory committee at Foundation Earth said: “Denis was one of the most innovative food producers that I have ever known.

“He didn’t just care about food – he cared deeply about the environment and was always trying to change how food is farmed and processed to improve planetary, as well as human, health.

“I believe the Foundation Earth labelling scheme will allow consumers to make much more informed choices about the carbon footprint of food we are buying – this is something consumers very much want to know.

“We still have a long way to go, but through initiatives like this scholarship, we move closer to a food system that works in harmony with nature and fully respects our planet. We are delighted here at IGFS and Queen’s to be part of such a scheme and extend our thanks to Finnebrogue and the Lynn family for their generosity and support for students.”

Caption: Professor Sharon Huws, IGFS, Queen’s University; Professor Chris Elliott, IGFS, Queen’s University; Christine Lynn, Finnebrogue Artisan; Tara Lynn, Finnebrogue Artisan; and Helen Carrick, development and Alumni relations office, Queen’s University

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Spend Local scheme should have excluded supermarkets, study says

Linda Stewart — Tue, 03 May 2022 11:03:42 +0000

Stormont’s Spend Local scheme should have been excluded supermarkets, economists from Queen’s University Belfast (QUB) have suggested.

The QUB study says the £136m High Street scheme, designed to boost businesses affected by coronavirus lockdowns, should have targeted businesses forced to close during the Covid-19 pandemic.

It allowed everyone over the age of 18 in Northern Ireland to apply for a £100 pre-paid card.

The QUB study also said the scheme should have been designed to help pensioners and those on income support as those measures “would have had a greater economic effect”.

Official figures by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (Nisra) found that one third of the high street vouchers were spent in businesses that did not have to close during the pandemic.

The Department for the Economy has not yet conducted its final analysis into the scheme.

In an article published in The Economics Observatory, Prof John Turner and Dr David Jordan said: “Given the high proportion spent in supermarkets, it is very likely that a substantial proportion of extra expenditure by consumers leaked out of the local economy.

They criticised the “poor timing” of the scheme, suggesting it should have operated from late August to October, months which have lower retail footfall.

It found the busiest month for transactions on the pre-paid cards was November, a month when retail spending is traditionally high before Christmas.

They suggested these factors meant an increase in spending in Northern Ireland was “much lower than was originally intended or would have been hoped for”.

“A post-scheme evaluation needs to happen to determine whether this policy experimentation was cost-effective and worth repeating,” the assessment concluded.

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