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JOINER named in landmark MOU between UK and Ireland

Last week the UK Government announced a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Ireland, naming the JOINER open experimentation platform as a key pillar of bilateral cooperation on future networks, 6G research and digital resilience.

The announcement, made as part of the wider UK-Ireland 2030 Joint Statement framework, marks a significant moment of recognition for JOINER and its role in shaping sovereign capability in next-generation networks.

Director of JOINER, Professor Dimitra Simeonidou said:

“We are absolutely thrilled to see JOINER recognised at the heart of this UK-Ireland agreement. The timing could not be more fitting, with the UK-Ireland Advanced Connectivity Technologies Workshop taking place in Belfast next week, this announcement underlines the momentum we have been building.

JOINER is now entering an exciting new phase of development, one that will shape the UK’s sovereign capability in future networks and 6G for years to come. As a platform, it does more than support large-scale experimentation, it also underpins collaboration and builds bridges between research and industry across borders. This MOU is a powerful recognition of that role, and we look forward to strengthening our partnership with Trinity College Dublin and the wider UK-Ireland research community.” 

Director of the Centre for Wireless Innovation at Queen’s University Belfast, Professor Simon Cotton, added:

“The strategic importance of Advanced Connectivity Technologies to both the UK and Ireland cannot be overstated. To fully realise the massive opportunities they present, we need state-of-the-art infrastructure that turns cross-border ambition into reality. It is a privilege for Queen’s University Belfast to host the JOINER node that connects Ireland to Great Britain, serving as the vital interconnect that seamlessly links our research and commercial ecosystems to drive the future of 6G.”