We are excited to announce NAARCA’s role in the ongoing development of Future Island-Island, an AHRC-funded project led by Professor Justin Magee at Belfast School of Art, Ulster University and Dr Clare Mulhollan, School of Natural and Built Environment, Queens University Belfast. This initiative brings together community members, academics, and practitioners to co-create design-led research for a greener, more sustainable Northern Ireland economy.

Future Island-Island is a £6.6M project that started in 2023. As a Co-Investigator partner in phase two of this £2.5M stage (running through 2028), NAARCA will contribute to The East Light – A Creativity-led Strategy for a Sustainable Knowledge Economy on Rathlin Island. This strand supports the Rathlin Development Community Association in regenerating the historic East Light lighthouse into an academic, research, and creative destination, as well as a community and technological hub for the island. The strategy aims to integrate design, skills development, and entrepreneurship, connecting Rathlin with wider green transition networks across Ireland, Scotland, the Nordics, and beyond.

Collaborating with the Future Island-Island team and Rathlin’s creative community, NAARCA will organise sustainability-focused residencies centred on skills development, knowledge exchange, and mentorship. These residencies will foster island-driven creativity around eco-themes and provide training on hosting and facilitating future programmes as part of Rathlin’s emerging Knowledge Economy. Participants will engage with NAARCA partners, learn how each institution operates, and receive support to establish a new sustainability-focused art and science residency programme on Rathlin Island.

This project is part of the Green Transition Ecosystem programme (phase two 2025-2028) funded as part of AHRC’s Future Observatory: Design the Green Transition programme.