Press release
Minister Heydon announces €22.3 million in new research grants
From Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
Published on
Last updated on
Minister of State with special responsibility for Research and Development at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine Martin Heydon T.D., today announced funding of €22.3 million for 21 new research projects arising from the ‘2023 DAFM Thematic Research Call’.
When combined with the first tranche of successful projects announced in 2023, the overall funding is €46m, the largest ever committed by the Department for a research Call.
Announcing the successful projects at an event held in Farmleigh House, Minister of State said:
“Today I am announcing €22.3 million in grant aid for 21 new research projects arising from my Department’s 2023 Thematic Research Call. This will see research work being conducted across a wide range of areas including, low emissions dairy production, carbon sequestration in agricultural soils, developing farmland nature credits, optimising oat production and processing for healthy foods, assessing the impact of deer in forestry, advancing the Irish wool sector, sustainable packaging materials, and improving shelf life of dairy products, among others”.
The 21 new projects will investigate topics including:
• Climate change mitigation and adaptation
• Water quality and biodiversity
• Animal health and welfare
• Antimicrobial and anthelmintic resistance
• Food safety
• Food health and nutrition
• Food packaging
• Bioeconomy
Minister Heydon went on to say:
“Today’s investment builds on the first tranche of projects that received funding last December. Taken together, these represent an overall investment of €46 million, the largest ever from a research Call run by my Department. This investment will help equip the Irish agriculture, food, forest and bioeconomy sectors with the science and technology they need to become even more sustainable and competitive into the future.”
Minister Heydon highlighted that the funding will support 48 postgraduate student positions and a further 55 postdoctoral and contract researchers across the 17 institutes receiving funding. Combined with the projects announced in Tranche I, this amounts to support for over 200 research positions. This ensures a pool of highly skilled researchers for these sectors, keeping Ireland at the cutting edge of science, technology and innovation.
Minister Heydon concluded:
“Practices across the agri-food, forest and bioeconomy sectors are always evolving and Ireland should be at the forefront of these developments. A steady pipeline of new solutions is the cornerstone of increasing economic, environmental, and social sustainability and the next step is for the output of these projects to reach end-users such as farmers, advisors, policy makers and industry stakeholders.”
As part of the ongoing North-South co-operation on agri-food research and innovation, the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, Northern Ireland collaborated in this research call by providing funding to enable eligible research organisations in Northern Ireland to participate in projects with partners in Ireland. Two projects will benefit from this collaboration in this Tranche II list.
Notes to editors
A. Projects supported
Low-emissions dairy production without fertilizer N or herbicides
Coordinator: James Humphreys, Teagasc
Carbon sequestration from Agricultural soils from different Land-uses, Managements and Soil types
Coordinator: Rachael Murphy, Teagasc
Developing strategies for the different sectors of Irish Agriculture to adapt to Climate change challenges
Coordinator: Elodie Ruelle, Teagasc
Management of peatland forests for climate, biodiversity and water quality
Coordinator: Ken Byrne, University of Limerick
Developing Farmland Nature Credits to Accelerate the Sustainable Transition in Irish Agriculture
Coordinator: Yvonne Buckley, Trinity College Dublin
Assessing the impact of deer in Irish forest ecosystems to inform evidence-based deer management and policy
Coordinator: Simone Ciuti, University College Dublin
Health and welfare of calves reared in Ireland or undergoing Intra-Community Trade
Coordinator: Emer Kennedy, Teagasc
Detecting plant nursery pathogens using HTS technology
Coordinator: Trevor Hodkinson, Trinity College Dublin
Sustainable reduction of antimicrobial use at dry-off in dairy farms
Coordinator: Pablo Silva Bolona, Teagasc
Managing Anthelmintic Resistance in Cattle Sustainably
Coordinator: Orla Keane, Teagasc
Risk analysis of Salmonella contamination on poultry farms incorporating novel biosecurity
Coordinator: Declan Bolton, Teagasc
Modelling Estimates for Agricultural Sustainability Using Real Evidence
Coordinator: Emma Dillon, Teagasc
SPRING WOOL – removing bottlenecks and providing a springboard for innovation in the Irish Grown Wool sector.
Coordinator: Tim Yeomans, Munster Technological University
Federating Irish research infrastructures to accelerate development of sustainable bioprocesses
Coordinator: John Morrissey, University College Cork
Industry level data integration and development of a digital sustainability platform and decision support tool for agricultural production systems in Ireland
Coordinator: Jonathan Herron, Teagasc
Integrated production of nanocellulose fibres, lignin, and cellulase from agricultural wastes for use in sustainable food packaging materials
Coordinator: Amit Jaiswal, Technological University Dublin
Sarcopenia in the Older post-menopausal Woman - sustainable Plant protein Solutions
Coordinator: Linda Giblin, Teagasc
Assessing the risk of foodborne pathogen contamination in fresh fruit and vegetable productions
Coordinator: Achim Schmalenberger, University of Limerick
Improved Shelf-Life of Dairy Products Through Zein Augmented Packaging Solutions
Coordinator: Joe Kerry, University College Cork
Healthy Oats: Closing the Circle: Optimising Parameters for Oat Growth, Bioctive Extraction, and Processing to Produce Sustainable Fortified Food-For-Health Products.
Coordinator: Amalia Scannell, University College Dublin
Thermo-Reversing Advanced Nutritional Structures as Fortification Option in Recipes for Malnutrition
Coordinator: Tom O'Callaghan, University College Cork
B. DAFM 2023 Thematic Research Call
The DAFM 2023 Thematic Research Call implements the thematic research strand of the DAFM support for research. More information about the five research support strands operated by DAFM.
The Call sought proposals across five thematic areas: Climate Mitigation and Adaptation, Agri-Environment, Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, Smart, Sustainable Animal & Plant Production, Health & Welfare, Bioeconomy, Rural Economy, Agri-Digitalisation & Data, and Safe, Nutritious and Sustainable Food Processing and Consumption.
C. Call Statistics
• 17 research performing organisations
• 103 research positions
• 48 postgraduate research positions (43 PhDs and 5 MScs)
• 55 contract research positions
Funding sources:
• DAFM: € 21,824,971.83
• DAERA NI: €475,202
D. Institutions receiving funding
• Teagasc
• Trinity College Dublin
• Munster Technological University
• University College Cork
• University of Limerick
• Dundalk Institute of Technology
• University College Dublin
• University of Galway
• Technological University Shannon
• South East Technological University
• Atlantic Technological University
• National Botanic Gardens
• Irish Cattle Breeders Federation
• Queens University Belfast
• Ulster University
• National University of Ireland, Maynooth
• Technological University Dublin