A number of agriculture research projects are among those that are to receive funding from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to address climate and environmental challenges. The EPA announced funding of €14.5m for 25 new research projects on Thursday 20 February, following a research call.
A number of agriculture research projects are among those that are to receive funding from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to address climate and environmental challenges.
The EPA announced funding of €14.5m for 25 new research projects on Thursday 20 February, following a research call.
Four agricultural projects are co-funded by the Department of Agriculture. These are projects at:
Atlantic Technological University (ATU), led by Alina Premrov, advanced integrated measurements and modeling approaches for predicting carbon emissions and removals from Irish peatlands, awarded €611,465.Trinity College Dublin (TCD), led by Silvia Caldararu, ecological forecasting of tree resistance to pathogens: ash dieback and beyond, awarded €591,061.Dublin City University (DCU), led by Jimmy O'Keeffe, farming resilience and management through natural capital, awarded €328,454.Dublin City University (DCU), led by Louise Fitzgerald, JUSTLAND: A Just Transition for Land in Ireland, awarded €303,490.Other projects related to agriculture include:
Technological University Dublin (TUD), led by Eoin McGillicuddy, mobile air monitoring in agricultural settings, awarded €658,728.Munster Technological University (MTU), led by Jennifer Attard, just transition for agriculture in the circular bioeconomy, awarded €659,061. University College Cork (UCC), led by Archishman Bose, regenerative value systems for Irish grown wool in Ireland, awarded €657,403.Among the other topics that will be covered are the attribution of weather events to climate change, exploring Irish people’s attitudes and values around climate change, and investigating the risk of exposure to chemicals in foodstuffs.
Policy-relevant
The EPA said these innovative, policy-relevant projects will address key knowledge gaps and support the development of vital research capacity in strategically important areas.
Announcing the funding awards, Laura Burke, EPA director general said: “This new EPA funding will help to build the vital research talent and knowledge needed in Ireland to respond to these challenges and achieve a healthier environment.”
“I congratulate the successful research teams and look forward to seeing the positive impacts these projects will have on environmental protection in the years ahead.”
The EPA said the funding is significant in terms of further building the environmental research capacity in Ireland.
It will support almost 200 research staff across 10 organisations, including funding for approximately 50 PhD and postgraduate students.
Research call
The 25 successful projects were selected from the 2025 research all. It is planned that further proposals from the EPA research call 2024 will be funded in 2025.
In addition, the EPA research call 2025 that is expected to launch in April will consist of targeted topics focused on specific policy areas.
This is a subscriber-only article
SHARING OPTIONS: