From Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
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Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine with special responsibility for research and innovation Martin Heydon, today joined the New Zealand Minister for Agriculture, Damien O’Connor M.P. to launch the second Ireland – New Zealand Joint Research Call on agriculture and climate change. The two Ministers made the announcement following a bilateral meeting held during the Agricultural Innovation Mission for Climate Summit in Washington DC.
The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the New Zealand Ministry for Primary Industries launched the first joint call in 2022, following the signing of a Memorandum of Arrangement between both organisations in May 2022. This provided for the establishment a 3-year pilot Joint Research Initiative (JRI) over the period 2022 to 2024 in recognition of the strong existing research connections and the common challenges facing the agri-food sectors in both Ireland and New Zealand. Over €7 million in joint funding was awarded to four research projects in the 2022 Call.
Making the announcement, Minister Heydon said:
“Today I held a very positive and constructive meeting with Minister O’Connor on the margins of the AIM for Climate Summit that we are both attending. Our discussions focused strongly on how we can develop and grow our bilateral cooperation in the area of agricultural climate change research and innovation, building on initiatives such as the Global Research Alliance for Agricultural Greenhouse Gases and AIM for Climate."
Continuing, the Minister said:
“The new bilateral research call that we launched last year is a further important element in this and I am pleased that we can announce today the launch of the 2023 Joint Research Call for proposals between our two countries. I want to formally acknowledge the ongoing support and commitment of New Zealand’s Minister of Agriculture, Damien O’Connor and his officials in the Ministry for Primary Industries to this initiative and partnership.”
Minister O’Connor stated:
“Tackling climate change globally will take strong collaboration. New Zealand is proud to be partnering with Ireland in this Joint Research Call. As strong agricultural nations, we can lead the way in driving important research that will lead to vital new and improved tools to drive down environmental impacts, backed by cutting-edge science. I’d like to express my thanks to Ministers Charlie McConalogue and Martin Heydon for their ongoing commitment to this vital work.”
The 2023 research Call between the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and New Zealand’s Ministry for Primary Industries will aim to investigate:
1. Land management on organic agricultural soils to support the development of GHG mitigation and Carbon sequestration
2. Refinement of agricultural GHG emissions inventories through the development of emission factors for Methane, Nitrous Oxide and Carbon Dioxide
3. Identification and development of technologies for the mitigation of greenhouse gases from ruminant systems
4. Digitalisation and data to support climate-related action and management practices in agriculture
Concluding, Minister Heydon remarked:
“This new research call widens the offering to researchers with two new research topics on the development of digital tools and data, and land management on agricultural organic soils to support the livestock sector to reduce its impact on the environment and reduce emissions of greenhouse gases. This unique research call between Ireland and New Zealand shows the high level, ongoing commitment by both countries to accelerate the pace of development of innovative solutions to reduce greenhouse gases from livestock-based, pasture systems and I strongly encourage Irish researchers to apply to."
Notes to Editors
2023 Ireland - New Zealand Joint Research Call
The 2023 Joint Research Call between Ireland and New Zealand will open on the 10th May 2023 at 12:00 (IST) and invites eligible Research Performing Organisations (RPOs) from Ireland to submit joint research proposals, with collaborating partners from New Zealand.
There will be four research topics in the Call:
• Topic 1: Land management on organic agricultural soils to support the development of GHG mitigation and Carbon sequestration
• Topic 2: Refinement of agricultural GHG emissions inventories through the development of emission factors for Methane, Nitrous Oxide and Carbon Dioxide
• Topic 3: Identification and development of technologies for the mitigation of greenhouse gases from ruminant systems
• Topic 4: Digitalisation and data to support climate-related action and management practices in agriculture
More details, including information for online briefing sessions, can be found here: Ireland – New Zealand Joint Research Mechanism
The Irish financial support for the 2023 Ireland-New Zealand Joint Research Call is being provided through the DAFM Research Programme
Call Timeline
The Joint Research Call follows a one-stage submission procedure with a deadline for the submission of full proposals on 28th July 2023 . Indicative Research Call timelines are outlined below.
| 10 May 2023 at 12:00 IST | Launch of the Joint Research Call |
| 25th May 2023 at 10:00 IST. | Webinar for potential applicants |
| 28th July 2023 | Submission Deadline for proposals |
| October 2023 | Communication of Funding Decision |
| November 2023 | Funding awarded and announcement of successful projects |
| Jan 2024 to Mar 2024 | Estimated Starting Date for Funded Projects |
Background
The Department of Agriculture Food and the Marine (DAFM) and New Zealand’s Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) established a 3-year pilot Joint Research Initiative (JRI) over the period 2022 to 2024 in recognition of the strong existing research connections and the common challenges facing the agri-food sectors in both Ireland and New Zealand.
The pilot Joint Research Initiative goal is to provide Joint Research Calls that build on the established research links between Ireland and New Zealand, strengthen existing cooperation and collaboration between funders and researchers on a bilateral basis, align research priorities and activities, and exploit synergies where they exist.
The first Joint Call was run in 2022 and over €7 million was awarded to four projects – more details can be found here: gov.ie - Ministers McConalogue and Heydon announce over €3.6 million for climate-related research in a joint collaboration with New Zealand (www.gov.ie)