Dublin announces key funding call for agri-food and forest research

The Irish Government has announced €20m of collaborative funding for agri-food and forestry research as part of national calls.

The awards cover a broad range of research activities, including health and welfare of livestock, sheep breeding, crop production, food safety, and increasing competitiveness and the sustainability of Irish aquaculture. Also receiving money are nutritional and health aspects of foods, marine materials as functional food ingredients, and assessing Ireland’s risk to airborne spread of ash dieback disease.

Making the announcement, Simon Coveney, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, said: “This investment will build research capacity and capability in the Irish public research system and ultimately make a significant contribution to the sustainability and competitiveness of the Irish agri-food, forestry and aquaculture sectors. It will also provide contract employment for 58 highly trained scientists as well as specialised scientific training for 53 postgraduate students.

“Today’s research awards brings the total investment made by my department over the last three years to over €85m. This research is a key component in delivering on the ambitious targets set out in the Food Harvest 2020 strategy and the government’s Action Plan for Jobs.”

The grant awards form part of the national Food Institutional Research Measure, Research Stimulus Fund and Programme of Competitive Forest Research for Development research funding programmes operated by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. The schemes seek to develop national research capabilities and the creation of a knowledge economy.

The calls come as Ireland completes its first year of applications to Horizon 2020, widely considered a success by both industry and government. Minister of State with Special Responsibility for Forestry Tom Hayes said: “I wish to congratulate the Irish institutional and industry research partners who won awards totalling over €11m. This bears testimony to the department’s on-going investment which builds and maintains the capacity and capability in the Irish research system needed to pursue these opportunities.”

Hayes added that it was important to meet the needs of industry in the research agenda.