The RDSU
The Rural Development Support Unit is a research and development unit within Tipperary Institute. Established in December 2008, the Unit is located in the Ballingarrane Science and Technology Park in Clonmel, Co. Tipperary. The RDSU will be responsible for the delivery of the National Rural Network contract which was awarded to TI by the Irish Government in 2008. The Unit currently consists of Paul Keating, John Hannafin and Paula Briody and will be expanding in the coming weeks to include a further four staff members.
Within the team there is considerable experience in network management through our provision of the National Network Unit under LEADER+ in Ireland. This contract which Tipperary Institute provided as the Irish LEADER Support Unit gave us a very constructive platform in terms of building a good working relationship with the LEADER companies and new Integrated local Development companies. It also provided us with experiences in operating at an EU level. While the experience of the ILSU contract was valuable, it represents a single dimension to what will be a multifaceted network in this programming period.
The RDSU will seek to build on our strong working relationships with Farming and Agricultural organisations and administrations involved in Axis 1 and 2 of the programme. Through our Agricultural Analyst we have significant experience and competence in dealing with the information generated through the competitiveness and the environmental measures in the Programme. We can also draw from the practical experience available on agriculture within Tipperary Institute and from a range of associates within the sector.
The Support Unit has particular competence in the development and application of technology in networking and communication, in accessing, compiling and analysing information as well as generating reports and information updates. Our intention is to apply state of the art application in delivering the ambitious web based solutions envisaged in the contract. Both the technology infrastructure and the extensive knowledge base within TI is available to the unit in achieving this goal.