The European Commission is pressing Northern Ireland to tap into millions of pounds of EU grants in addition to billions already guaranteed under programmes to help peace and stability.
Officials working on a Northern Ireland Task Force set up by Brussels nearly a year ago say in a new report that there is plenty of funding for poorer regions which the North is qualified to share in but for which it has not applied.
Exactly how much could be available is unclear, but EU Regional Commissioner Danuta Hubner will use a visit to Belfast next week to urge the Northern Ireland authorities to take full advantage of funds in the EU's current spending programme running until 2013.
The Task Force was created to support Northern Ireland's economic upturn in everything from agriculture, education, industry and culture to the environment, fisheries, transport and energy.
Its mandate is also to improve Northern Ireland's access to, and participation in, EU policies and programmes.
Now the Task Force report, approved by EU Commissioners in Brussels, confirms there is potentially much more cash in the EU kitty for the region than the authorities are bidding for.
A Commission statement tonight said the report looked at new ways in which the region can boost its modernisation and pledged the Task Force would continue its mandate to "help the region's authorities to reap maximum benefit from the EU support they can receive from now until 2013."
Between 2000/06, six programmes in Northern Ireland received EU investment of
about £1.74 billion Stg.
For the current financial planning period 2007/13, six EU programmes will provide a total investment of £950,000.
But the report says the Northern Ireland authorities should in addition be pursuing increasing the region's participation in the EU's research and development projects, engaging more in student exchange programmes and exchanges of staff between the Commission and the Northern Ireland administration.
The Task Force also identifies a need to promote more quality labelling in the agri-food sector, to call on the expertise of the European Investment Fund to develop the province's risk capital sector and to encourage small businesses.
The report confirms that Northern Ireland's economy is on the mend is recovering and performing well compared with the rest of the UK and the rest of Europe.