Geological Survey Ireland announces €1.45 million funding for new research projects
- Published on: 6 January 2021
- Last updated on: 11 April 2025
- Topics include Climate Change, Landslides & Hazards, Offshore & Geothermal Energy
Geological Survey Ireland has announced it awarded over €1.45 million under its Research Programme in 2020. World-class research projects in geoscience and related areas of environmental science and engineering were supported. Since 2015, the Programme has committed over €11 million in funding to over 150 projects in academia and SMEs. Data, expertise and support from Geological Survey Ireland scientific and technical staff have also been provided under the Programme.
The 2020 awards include six multi-annual projects in areas including groundwater modelling, sourcing of critical metals, deep geothermal energy and geotechnical engineering studies of slope failure. Two of these projects are co-funded with Science Foundation Ireland (Frontiers for the Future Programme) and two are supported through the EU Geothermica Network for geothermal energy research.
Geological Survey Ireland also awarded 17 short projects (under 14 months) for topics including geotechnical engineering assessments for offshore wind farms, hazard monitoring for landslides, new geophysics techniques for sub-surface imaging, palaeoclimate and environmental studies, local and satellite monitoring of coastal change and characterisation of Irish mineral deposits (see list below).
Koen Verbruggen, Director of Geological Survey Ireland, welcomed the announcement and commented:
"We are very happy to support these excellent research projects in Ireland. Improving our understanding and monitoring of Earth systems is critical if we are to manage our natural resources properly - including our clean energy, water and minerals resources. The outputs from these projects will include new methodologies, data and interpretations that will help us inform policy and regulation as well as support our SMEs and Irish businesses in these sectors."
Dr Aoife Braiden, Research Manager, added:
"One of the aims of the Geological Survey Ireland research strategy is to build capacity and expertise by supporting high quality research across Ireland. In addition to the funding commitment announced today, we are fortunate to be able to partner with other Irish and international funding agencies to support our researchers. This is particularly important given the need for multidisciplinary teams and strong collaborative networks to address some our most pressing societal issues such as natural resources, climate change and our impact on the environment."
ENDS
For further information please contact the Press Office of the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, at press.office@decc.gov.ie or 01 678 2441.
Notes to the Editor
- Geological Survey Ireland is the National Earth Science Agency. It is responsible for providing geological advice and information, and for the acquisition of data for this purpose. Geological Survey Ireland produces a range of products including maps, reports and databases and acts as a knowledge center and project partner in all aspects of Irish geology
- Geological Survey Ireland is a division of the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications (DECC)
- More information about the Geological Survey Ireland Research programme and projects is available online
- The Geological Survey Ireland Research strategy is also available online
Short Call projects awarded in 2020 (funded by Geological Survey Ireland)
| Prof. C. Bean | DIAS | Mapping weather & climate indices using seismic data (SeisStorm) |
| Mr D. Blaney | BRG Ltd | Energy Critical Element Characterisation of Irish Mineral Deposits |
| Dr G. Bromley | Quantifying Ireland’s Dust Bowl: An interdisciplinary assessment of potential loess genesis, deposition, and dynamics in the Burren | |
| Dr C. Gallagher | University College Dublin | Extraction of Historic DEMs and Orthophotos using Digital Photogrammetry and its Applications in Coastal Evolution Studies |
| Dr D. Igoe | Trinity College Dublin | Pile Ageing Study for Offshore Wind Applications |
| Dr M. Jackson | Trinity College Dublin | Abrupt Climate Change in Ireland: Redefining our climate future through a lens of high-resolution glacial reconstruction |
| Ms V. Kelly | Compass Informatics: Using Earth Observation (Satellite) imagery for offshore renewable energy site selection and constraint analysis | |
| Dr J. Keenahan | University College Dublin | Developing seabed scour assessment and prediction tools using computational fluid dynamics modelling (DeMo) |
| Dr D. Kiyan | Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies | RAFTA: Resolution Analyses for Frequency- and Time-Domain Airborne Electromagnetic Data of the Irish Tellus Programme |
| Mr D. Lennon | iGeospatial Modelling ltd: Real time Monitoring of landslides using remote sensing approaches | |
| Dr I. Lokmer | University College Dublin | Amplification of seismic rotations due to subsurface heterogeneities |
| Dr S. Nash | National University of Ireland, Galway | Linking ocean model predictions with coastal impacts using a low cost, time-lapse camera shoreline monitoring system |
| Dr U. Ofterdinger | Queens University Belfast | Groundwater-g - Supporting Groundwater Resources Management using Low-Cost Microgravity Technology |
| Dr N. Ogle | Queens University Belfast | Delivering Added Value to the Tellus Survey: A Multi-elemental Isotopic Database of Soil and Stream Water |
| Prof. P. Orr | University College Dublin | Assessing the potential of Holocene shellbeds in Galway Bay as palaeoenvironmental and palaeoclimate archives |
| Dr M. O'Shea | University College Cork | BIM integrated Geo hazard monitoring of at risk slopes and historical retaining structures |
| Dr P. Slezak | University College Dublin | Hyperspectral Analysis of the Mourne Mountains (HAMM) |
Multi-annual projects awarded in 2020
| Prof. Chris Bean | Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies | Innovation for De-Risking Enhanced Geothermal Energy Projects (DEEP) (co-funded through the Geothermica ERA Net) |
| Dr Shane Donohue | University College Dublin | Geophysical and Earth Observation Tools for Evaluating the Condition of Slopes (GEOTECS) (Co-funded with SFI) |
| Dr Juan Diego Rodriguez | Trinity College Dublin | SEparating Critical metals ThrOugh mineRal crystallization (SEleCTOR) (Co-funded with SFI) |
| Mr James McAteer | Gavin Doherty Geosolutions Ltd | Enhancing REServoirs in Urban deveLopmenT: smart wells and reservoir development RESULT (co-funded through the Geothermica ERA Net) |
| Dr Owen Naughton | Carlow Institute of Technology | Integrated modelling of hydrogeological/hydrological data and climate change scenarios for preselected Irish groundwater systems |
| Prof. Patrick Wyse Jackson | Trinity College Dublin | Stonebuilt Ireland (Co-funded with TCD and OPW) |