Centre for Cross- Border Studies (company Ilmltsd by guarantee) Reference and admlntstrative details of the eharitable company Members The Queen's Univet3ity of B¢lfast Dublln City University MrPeter OslM)me Mr Philip MGDonagh Mr Earl Storey Dr WahKilroy Ms FAner O'Gornian Professor JohnDoyle Sir David Sterling Professor John Garry Ms Blodie Fabre Ms Olwen Dawe Ms Eileen Weir Commenced 17 October 2022 Commenced 6 March 2023 Company Secretsry Regtstired offlee I PrAn¢lpal offiee Cffltre for Cro&s.Border Studies Limited 39 Abbey Street BT617EB B4nkers Ujstsr Bank LImit￿l University Road Bank of Ireland I l Upper Engllsh Street Sollcltor8 Murray House 4 Murray Street Belfast BTI 6DN Independent iudltor KPMG The SoloistBuilding l Lanyon Place Belfast BTI 3LP Charfty coll￿￿1$910n NI number NIC 102197 Company reglstrath•n llumb¢r N1036854 Centre for Cross - Border Studies (eompany Ilmlted by guarantee) Trustees, report for the year ended 31 July 2023 The Trustees present their report and the audited financial statemfflts for the year ended 31 July 2023. The inforn)ation with to the Thistees set out on page I fornis part of this Tep)rL The financial statements comply WAth Charities Act (NO￿ern Ireland) 2008, as amended by the Charities Aot (Northem IreIand) 2013, the Charlties (Accounts and Reports) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2015, the CompaDie8 Act 2006, lh¢ Memorandum and Articles of Associat[0￿ and Acwunting and Rq)orting by Charities: Statement ofRewmmended Prnctice appli¢abl¢ to charities preparing their acwunts in accordance with lh¢ Financial Repoiting Standards appli¢abk in the UK and Rwbltc of Ire]￿d (FRS 102). Structurej governance and management The Centre for Cro8s-Border Sludies ffCCBS- or *he clthritable cOmp￿y) is a Company limited by guarantse and as such 18 governed by its Memorandum and Articles of Association. The cbaritsble company pttpares and fil￿ annual accounts with Companies House. The ￿MpanY has charitable tsx status (refemce number: XR31047). The charitsble company registered wlth the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland in September 2015 and its Charity number is NIC 102197. The Governing Body ofthe charitabI¢ ￿Mpally is its Board of Trustee4 who are respnsible for the strategic direction ofthe Centre and me& fow times a year. The day-to-day operational wntrol is delegated to an ¢mployee> Carrying the title D1￿Ctor, who is also in attendance at all meetings ofthe BO8￿ The cl)aritable wmpany o• in an environment which promotss equality, tolerance and muhwl r¢sp¢ct. M¢mber8 The members ofthe charitable company during the year, as s¢t out in lh¢ rnvised Arttoles of Associatlon are as follows: The Queen's Universlty of Belfast; Dublin City University In ]ine with lh¢ Articles of A$￿)ciation lh¢ Trustees aro as follows: MI Peter Osbome Dr Maurice Manning Mr Philip M¢Donagh MrEarl Storey Dr Wah Kitmy MS Emer O'Gom)an Professor Johh DoyIe Sir Davld Sterling Professor John Garry Ms Elodie Fabre Ms Olwen Dawe Ms Eileen Weir Commfflced 17 October 2022 Commfflced 6 March 2023 Ofthe Trustees. four are nominated by ly)th Queen's University Belfast and Dublirt City uniV￿S1ty. In addition up to f￿r additional Trustees can be COHOPt¢d by the Boa The resp￿tIVe members were involved in drafting the Articles of Association and have nomiDatsd their institutional r￿)￿sentatIveS to the Board on this basis. The current Board Members were fulty briefed on the Centre for Cross-Border Studies Limited's mission and activitie8 and wer¢ advised oftheir legal rwnsli )i]itles as outlined in the Articles of Association. Centre for Cross - Border Studies (eompany Ilmfit¢d by guarantee) Trustees, report for the year ended 31 July 2023 (continued) Strudureg governance and management (eontlnued) T￿￿te¢S (conthiued) The Centr¢ for Cross-Border Studles has d￿clOped an induction programme for new Board Members. as partof which they re￿1ve a copy of the Board Mth)bers Handbook and are advised of th¢ir1¢8al responsibilty and reqUirem￿lts in regard lo lh¢ code of LX)nduct and ￿￿￿1¢¢ of int¢resL A skills audit is maintained and reviewed. The ski118 audit is Used to inforn) the recruitment of new Board M¢mb¢r8. The related parties are set out in nots 18. These include tht membors and other organisations where the trustees have declared an Intsrest. As the governing body of the charitable mpany. the Board has the responsibility for maintsining a sound system of kntemal eotttrol that supports the achievement of the ¢haritable eompany's poli¢ie4 aims and objective4 whi18t saf¢guarding sponsors, fill￿S and assets for which they are K8ponsibl& The system of kntemal wntrol is designed to manage rathff than eliminate risK and lo that extsnt it cfin therefore only pmvide rea80nabIe and not absoluts assurance of effeCti￿e$S. The system of internal wntrol is based on an ongoing pro￿83 designed to Identify the prI￿1paI risks to the a¢hievem¢nt of policie4 aims and objectiv4 to evaluate the nature and extent of those risks and to nwiage them efficiently, elyectivety ald economically. The unting services for the ¢harAtable rA)mpany are provided by Queen's University Belfast and a review ofthe effe¢tiveness of internal control is undertaken by the University's Intemal Auditors as part of their rolling audit plan. This involves the provision of an independent opinion on the adequaoy ald ¢fft¢tiv•)ess of th¢ system of kntemal ¢ontml, with recommendations for ImprOv￿￿ent. The Board is satisfied thatth¢re is an ongoing Pro￿ for tdentifying> evaluating and managingthe tharitable company's slgnifi¢ant risk& do notrK¢ive remun&atAon for their role within the oharitsble company. Rfisk management The have overall r¢s￿nSibl1[ty for ensuring that the dwitabl¢ company has in place an approprlate systh of control4 fina￿la1 and othenvise. to provide reasonable assurance that: the ¢haritable company is operating efficiently and effectively: its assrts are safeguarthd agaitlst unauthorised use or disposition. proper records are maintsin¢d, and fina￿la1 Inforniation used within the charitsble company or for publication is reliable; the tharitable company complies with relevant laws and re8Utatiow" and the charitable company's systems of fllmnclal eontrol att designed to provAde reasonabl4 but not ab801ut¢ assurance against material misstatement or108& The primary risks associated with the Centre ar¢ in respect of financial sustainability. The Centre has well estsblished and comprehensive conttDls in pl￿ to managethese risks includlng: comprehensive financial reporting and forecasting pro¢ess¢s; a wellnciliation on the is]￿1. The Centre for Cross-Border Studies resear¢hes and develops ￿￿Operation acr￿ the Irish border in a wide range of prnctical notabty educatio￿ heal￿ the economys ICT and cit17A￿, infornMtion, and WO￿ with similar cross.border regiotml Centre for Cross - Border Studies (Company Ilmlted by guarantee) Thistees, report for the year ended 31 July 2023 (conthiued) Objectives and actfvltleslpublic benefit (continued) The Centre has a spe¢ifio and unique role in contributing to lh¢ increased socta]. economic and territorial Cohesion ofthe island of Treland through: Promoting and improving the qualty of cross.ly)rder eooperation b&w¢rn public bodies, ald betweth public bodie l)usiness and civll soclety" Improving the capacity of peopl¢ involved in social and economic development of the island to eJ)gage in mutually ben¢fi¢ial cross-border coop￿￿10n. and Addressing infomiatAOn gaps and Oth￿ barriers that eonstrnin cross-border mobility and cross.border cooperntiokj throu￿ research and provision of resourcffj tcK)Is and other Pvdctlcal supporL The Cenkn has developed a comprehensive sttxtegy coverAng a range of activitles designed to achieve its missloffj sp￿IfiCally> the main activities ofthe Centre in the reportitig period have included: ¥eparntion and holding of CCBS 23￿ Amiual Conferenee Research ald dissemination of researth findings Delivery of Secretariat Sffvices for Universities Ireland (Ul) and SCOTENS Journal of Cross Border Studies in Ireland NetwoJkn& Advocacy and Promotion of Cross-borts Cooperation in Ireland and Europe Representstion of CCBS on outside bodies Presentatlons to confernices and s¢minar4 OT8anised by CCBS and others Trainin& mentoring and infonnation services Submission to publA¢ policy consuttations and representation on advisory b(Jdi¢s Achievements and performance The statement of fmancial activities forthe charltable company is set out on pa8¢ 12. The regularty revlew performance against a number of key criteriato ensure it continu¢s to achieve its key allns and objectives. These measures inolude addressing infomiation gaps and promoting ald improving cross border e•ion. Key achievements during the twelve months covered by this financial rep)rt indude: CCBS 23rd Allnual Conferenee Preparation oflhe Cenlre s 23rdAnnual Corf¢renc4 which lookpla¢e on 29th th￿30th Septsmber 2022 Prepamllon of2023,edidon ofCCBSAnmial Corference, lo takeplace inseptember 2023 Research and disseminatlon of ￿$¢arCh flndln Revlew of¢rafs.border moblllty (CBP MaInl￿.￿l￿g Ihe necessary conditloTLffor cooperthion andcro&Y-border liv Deparlment rfForelgn4ffatrs Reconelllallon FundStvaÉwc Pavlnershipprogra The polley Id￿fOr Temole ivorkng SecretarlAt seryiees to Unlvernltles Ireland and the StAndfing Conferenee of Teacher Edlleatlon North And South (SCOTENS). including the organisation of major all-island conference4 Scholars atRisk events: matiwent . of Scholatships and Bursarfes s¢h¢m¢s' North.South Student Teacher Exchange. SCOTENS seed funding programme. PartlcApathin An Transfrontler Ellro ￿StItute Network ' Jean Monnet Network.. PRONfEM Conthiued naemlKr8hlp of European Cltlzen Aecess Service Jomrnal of Cro&8 Border Sthdies in Ireland Issue 17 launched 29 Sept 2022 Presentatlons to ¢ollfer¢ne￿ and s¢mh￿r89 oryanised by CCRS and others Centre for Cross - Border Studies (eompany Ilmited by guarantee) Trustees, report for the year ended 31 July 2023 (continued) Achievemen and perfornianee (contlnued) Trafjnlng9 mentorlng and Inforniathbn s¢rYl¢es CCBS websits updated and maintsined Border P￿pIe websits updated and mainkned Border Pw)le Advisory Meetings Border People trainlng for advlrK workers Bord¢rwZin¢ Press and media interviews Subml&8lon to publk poltcy eonsultath)ns Wrltten submissions to GovernmeA)t and pubJi¢ policy consultations in Irelan(L Northern Ireland and BU. Evidence to Parfiamentsry enquiries: Westminster and Dublln Financial review During the year an amount of £338595 (2022: £349,989) was received in granty together wlth othff income totalling £292273 (2022: £243,897). After w)fflditure of £621,606 (2022: £519.377X the n¢t inrA)me for the year amowrted to £9262 (2022: £74,509). Funds of £948,156 (2022: £938,894) wett cattied fonyard at 31 July 2023, of which fA38,567 (2022.. £417,814) r¢latsd to restrioted fimd4 i.e. funds which have been awarded by sponsors for a speofifio purp)se and Lwmot be uti]i8ed for any other g¢neral purpos The Centre's main funders during the wiod inchth government departtn￿ts which support ¢or¢ ￿tIVitieS including those listsd in the achievanents and perforniance section abo￿ In addition the Centr¢ Meives membersbip fimds th)m lh¢ m¢mber8 of Universities Ireland and SCOTBNS. Reserves poliey The clwitable rA)mpany's policy is to retain a level of free reserye8 whlch mat¢h¢s the need8 of the organisation both at the currenttime and in the foreseeable futhr& Its reserves policy is that necessary funds are retained for statutory liabilities and the rnnainder are to be expended WAthiti a rolling 36 n￿nth4 which the Tn￿te¢S consider appropriate to the charhable company's CircUn￿ and the tin)Ing of funding and ex￿nditi￿¢. The charitable company has free reserves of £509J89 (2022: £521.080) relating to grants rKeived for ¢or¢ fund4 funding for the provision of athninistrative and training services and other sundry Income. The charitable ¢ompany's reserves policy is reviewed annualty. Free resems are total funds, exduding restrieted fund& The Trustees are satisfied wlth the Year￿￿d fmancial position and with the prospects for 2023-24. The moin sources of funding are govenllnent grants and fundlng in respectof the provision of secretariat services. Plans for future years The CCBS Strategi¢ Statement ofhfissloffj Values and Strategic Goals provide the overall èontext for the Centre's planned activities going forwrf while the Centst's Strategic Platt sets out objectives for the period 2022-2025 The Strategic Plan has three stratsgi¢ prioriti￿. strengthening the knowl* base for coopffation and Cross-borts mobility> promoting the (levelopmeArt of policies that exploit and are supp)rtlve of cooperation and ¢[￿SS-bOrder mobility; and building and strengthening eollalN)rative relations WAthin aThd across these islands and kyond. We eX￿t additionally> that CCBS activities will ￿ntinUe to be shaped by the eco1￿mIc. sooial and political impaots arising froth the UK'S depaitre from the European Union. In the short-terni (2023-20241 eomplementAttg the Centre's sti*tsgic prioriti¢4 its a¢tiviti¢s will notottly fulfil the rnmitinents made to the Department of Fwther and Higher Educatio￿ Research, Innovation and S¢ien¢e as providers of core fundin& but also those relating to the Centre's Strategic Partnetship withtheDq)artsneAttof Foreign Affairs, Reconciliatlon Fund. Under the Strntegic Partnerships in 2023-2024 the activities to be widertaken fall under two overarchitig components: r¢sear¢h to assess the ongolng status of wnditions for {wp￿ation and mss.bonler mobility; and outrewh to build and maintsin confidence for c4)operation and eross-border ll￿bllIty. Among the sp￿ifiC activities to be undertaken by the Centre in 2023-24 are the widertaking of quarterly surveys on the conditions forNorth-South and East.West ¢00wati￿, r&8earch OD ross-bordermobilty. the continued Convening of the Ad-Hoc Group forNorth-South and East-west Coopffati0￿ and the ntinued pn)motion of the New Common Charter for Cooperation Within and Across these Islands. The Strategic Partnership with the Reconclliation Fund will atso determine the Centre's a(#ivitie8 beyond 2024. given that it is due to be in place untAI April 2025. However, 2024 will also be sha￿1 in light of the fact thatthe Centre will celebrats its 25th year, along with the implementation bodles established under Strand 2 of th¢ Gwd Friday AgreemenL Thff¢fore, our plans for Centre for Cross - Border Studies (company Ilmlted by guarantse) Trustees, report for the year ended 31 Juty 2023 (Conthiued) for hture years (eontinued) that y¢ar will also focus on ¢el¢brating the achievements ofNorth-South ￿operatIOn since 1998. Additionalty, the medium- term plans will also include efforts to source funding support to assist the Centre in its mission beyond 2025. Going foTward into 2024, the CCBS Board will continue to suppK)rtthe organisation and its staff in eiforts to ensure the Centre maintsins its profile and reputation for high-quality resear¢h as it operates itt & post-Brexit and ￿st.re8tru¢tllrAng environment. This will include maintsining the Border People project's importance within the Centre's Corn activities, and etmwing CCBS continues to provide the highest standards of s￿VICe to SCOTENS ￿La Universities Ireland. The financial sustainability of CCBS will continue to be a strategic goal and priority. In particular, efforts will be made to identify both p￿J￿t and Lx)re funding sources and to secure new funding streams. Statement as to disclosure to our auditors In so far as the tsvstsas ar¢ aware at the tim¢ of approving the Tn￿, Annual Re￿ tlwe is no relevant 1DfoTmatso￿ being information needed by th¢ auditor in connection with preparing their ryor¢ of which the charitsble company's auditor is llna￿ and the Tntstee6. having ntsde ￿qUirIeS of fellow trnstses and the auditor thatthey. ought to have Indivldually tske￿ have ewh tsken all the steps that they ought to have tsken as tnth to nmke themselves aware of any relevant audit inforniation and to establish that the auditor AS aware of that inforniation. Political donations No donations for politi￿1 purw)ses wer¢ mad¢ during the current and preceding year. Trustees indemnities As pemiitted by the Articles of Association, the Thtstees have the i￿Offt of an indemnity whA¢h is a qualifying third paty indemnity provision as defined by Section 234 ofthe Companies Act 2006. The indemnity was in force throughout the financial year and is Currendy in force. Small companies, exemption In prq)aring the Tn￿, R¢por¢ the trustses have taken the Small companies ￿emPtIon under 8ection 414(B) of the Companies A¢t 2006 (Strat¢gio Rept)rt and Trustees, Rep¢)rt) Regulations 2013, not to pryare a Strategic Report for presentation with these finanoial stat¢ments. The report has been pryared in accordance withthe 8peoial provisiotis relatmglo Small companies with part IS of the Companies Act 2006. Independent audltors. Purslla￿ to Section 487 of the Compa)ies A¢t2006, the auditors will b¢ deemed lo be r¢appointsd and KPMG will therefore continue in offi¢¢. By order of the Board Mrs Margaret Connolly Company Secretary Dats: 29 April 2024