.IE Annual Report 2022

The .IE Digital Town programme was developed to foster digital enhancement and adoption in Ireland, helping businesses, citizens and communities to harness the benefits of the Internet and to thrive online. We are committed to advancing Ireland’s Internet ecosystem by working through multiple partnerships to enable this to become a reality. The programme comprises three elements: Big Data for small towns, the .IE Digital Town Awards and the .IE Digital Town Blueprint. Two specific pillars of activity are currently underway – the Awards, and the Blueprint. .IE Digital Town Awards 2022 The Awards promote awareness, knowledge, use and understanding of digital in Ireland by its citizens, businesses and communities. They also highlight the benefits and possibilities of digital, and celebrate the digital achievements of local towns, big and small. Digitalisation offers the opportunity to create new ways of doing things. It promotes innovation and breathes new life into local communities, making them more attractive places to live and work, as well as contributing to a more sustainable future. Pictured L to R: The Piltown Team; Minister Damien English, Minister of State for Business, Employment and Retail at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment; Oonagh McCutcheon, National Director .IE Digital Town Programme; David Curtin, CEO .IE 2022 was the second year of our awards and had a €100,000 prize fund. The independent judging panel selected Piltown, Co. Kilkenny as the winner of the top Award, which was presented by Minister Damien English, Minister of State for Business, Employment and Retail at a virtual awards ceremony. .IE Digital Town Blueprint To help town leaders and policymakers embed their own digital town programmes and action plans in empirical data, .IE partnered with The Irish Institute of Digital Business at DCU to fully explore the concept and value of the “digital town” through a comprehensive research project. The resultant digital readiness framework is the first of its kind in Europe. In 2022, the Department of Rural and Community Development made provision for funding a .IE Digital Town Blueprint assessment for the 26 towns selected to prepare Master Plans as part of the Town Centre First initiative. The Blueprint reports were disseminated to the 26 towns in December 2022. The Blueprint reports provide data and actionable insights for decision-makers in these towns, and others like them, as they consider digitalisation initiatives that positively impact the local economy, public services, town rejuvenation, social cohesion, and overall quality of life. The local Internet community Through our memberships and sponsorships of industry awards and events, the Company provides a modest level of financial support to the local Internet community. In 2022, we sponsored the BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition, supported Cyber Ireland and continued our partnership with Digital Business Ireland, contributing to their events and committees. The Company has provided free .ie domain names to thousands of registered charities, who have a valid CHY number issued by the Revenue Commissioners. This is done in co-operation with a number of our accredited Registrars. “We are a committed advocate of the benefits of the Internet. Through our .IE Digital Town Programme, we seek to empower communities across Ireland to integrate digital into community and commercial life, shining a light on their achievements.” Oonagh McCutcheon National Director of .IE Digital Town Programme, .IE Profit-for-good The Company operates a profit-for-good mandate, and one of .IE’s strategic priorities is to support and serve the needs of the local Internet community. Business and Market Review .IE is the trading name of IE Domain Registry CLG / Annual Report & Review 2022 25