Sandbox
A major €2.4 million cross-border initiative funded under the European Union’s PEACEPLUS programme has been officially launched in Dundalk, County Louth. The three-year All-Island Public Health Knowledge Hub (PHKH) project is designed to bridge the gaps in standardized healthcare data between Ireland and Northern Ireland, establishing a unified base of evidence to inform public health policies on both sides of the border.
The project was formally launched on Wednesday, 24 June 2026, at Ballymascanlon House by John O’Dowd MLA, Northern Ireland Minister for Finance, and Jack Chambers TD, Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation in the Republic of Ireland. The collaborative project is being 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 (GBHI) at Trinity College Dublin.
standardizing Data Beyond Borders
Historically, comparing public health trends between Ireland and Northern Ireland has been complicated by differences in data collection methods, population survey models, and reporting structures. The PHKH project aims to address this lack of standardised data by designing and deploying a new all-island survey to capture and measure a wide range of public health indicators among the adult population in both jurisdictions.
A core deliverable of the project will be the development of a secure, confidential digital data portal. This platform will host harmonized public health datasets, making them accessible to policymakers, public health professionals, researchers, community organizations, and the general public.
📢 Standardized Insights for Health Policy
By creating a single, publicly accessible data portal, the project will improve understanding of the public health challenges common across the island, enabling targeted health campaigns and joint interventions in areas like chronic illness, mental health, and health inequalities.
Voices from the Launch
Speaking at the launch, Minister John O’Dowd MLA emphasized the role of standardisation: “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 Jack Chambers TD welcomed the North-South collaboration, stating: “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. It demonstrates the positive impacts for the public health evidence base that can be achieved through effective North-South collaboration.”
Gina McIntyre, Chief Executive of the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB), which manages the PEACEPLUS programme, highlighted how the project addresses key operational barriers: “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.”
Focus on Mental and Brain Health
The academic partnerships involved in the PHKH focus on two major areas of modern public health: mental health and cognitive ageing. Ulster University’s Bamford Centre brings extensive experience in mental health research, which will be vital in measuring cross-border stress, depression, and wellbeing indicators. Trinity College Dublin’s Global Brain Health Institute will focus on indicators related to cognitive health and brain aging.
Professor Iracema Leroi, Site Director of the Global Brain Health Institute at Trinity College Dublin, noted: “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.”
With co-financing from both jurisdictions and the European Union, the €2.4 million Public Health Knowledge Hub project stands as a testament to the role of the €1.14 billion PEACEPLUS program in fostering practical cooperation and social cohesion across Northern Ireland and the border counties of Ireland.
