Geological Survey Ireland announces €1.45 million funding for new research projects
News
Departments
Services
Gaeilge

Search gov.ie

Press release

Geological Survey Ireland announces €1.45 million funding for new research projects

  • 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)

Part of

Policies

This form is only for feedback relating to the current page.

Do not include personal or financial information.

The information you submit will be analysed to improve gov.ie and will not be responded to individually.

How was your experience on the current page? (required)

You have 400 characters remaining