gov.ie - Research - National Funding

DAFM Funded Research

DAFM previously operated three separate ‘public good’ competitive research funding programmes covering agriculture, food and forestry. They are described briefly here:

Food Institutional Research Measure (Food) aimed to develop technologies that will underpin a competitive, innovative and sustainable food manufacturing and marketing sector some of which can be exploited through more industry facing public support programmes.

Research Stimulus Fund (Agriculture) aimed to support sustainable and competitive agricultural production practices and policies, and contribute to building and maintaining a knowledge economy and research capability in the primary agriculture sector.

Programme of Competitive Forest Research for Development (Forestry) aimed to develop a scientific foundation and support for a sustainable, competitive, market orientated and innovative forest industry.

In December 2020 DAFM updated this Programme which will now comprise of a suite of the following five strands:

Thematic Research Strand: Launched periodically, this strand will cover experimental research under broad thematic, cross-cutting and mission-orientated approaches to key RDI challenges. The inclusion of ‘other eligible actors’ will be piloted with the aim to include the activities of ‘innovation intermediaries’ to support RPOs with the wider stakeholder knowledge transfer/dissemination activities of the project and encourage a multi-actor engagement in the projects. Co-funding with other agencies will continue as a feature of this programme.

International Outreach Strand: By facilitating participation in relevant competitive calls operated trans/inter-nationally, this strand will enable researchers in Irish RPOs to leverage expertise, data, and other infrastructure not readily available in Ireland and help embed them in multi country consortia that are better placed to compete under large non-Exchequer funded Calls.

Strategic Studies Strand: This strand is designed to provide a more flexible funding vehicle capable of addressing mainly policy issues more rapidly whilst still requiring scientific rigour. It is proposed that the initial Call under this programme will be run on a pilot basis early next year and, if successful, will be rolled out through smaller, more frequently open Calls based on specific topics identified by DAFM to address immediate or short- to medium-term strategic/policy needs.

Industry Focused Strand: This will comprise two industry-oriented initiatives:

• Research Plus, which aims to bring completed or near completed DAFM funded projects to a point where they are eligible for funding under programmes operated by other organisations in particular EI’s Commercialisation Programme.

• Innovation Platform, will facilitate industry-led, higher TRL level, 5-year collaborative research with RPOs with mandatory industry co-funding of 30%.

Coordination and Support Activities: This strand will be used on an on-going basis to fund relevant miscellaneous ancillary coordination and support type activities relating to research undertaken by DAFM-funded RPO based researchers as deemed appropriate.

For further information please contact research@agriculture.gov.ie .