Research and Innovation

The Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment (DCEE) plays a central role in shaping the transition to climate neutral Ireland, powered by clean energy, where our environment, society and economy thrive.

Research and innovation (R&I) are fundamental to how we design and implement policies, evaluate impacts, and respond to urgent and technological challenges.

In line with its Research and Innovation Strategy to 2030, DCEE defines:

• Research as the creation of new knowledge: a source of new evidence, data, or analysis
• Innovation as putting research into practice. It is using the outputs of research to inform policy development, policy implementation or to create or roll out new technologies

This approach ensures that both theoretical and practical expertise inform Ireland's climate action, the transformation of our energy systems; the protection and resilience of our environment and a resource-efficient economy.

DCEE's R&I Strategy is fully aligned with national frameworks such as Impact 2030 –Ireland's Research and Innovation Strategy. By strengthening its capacity to commission, procure and apply research, DCEE is helping to:

• Deliver evidence-based policies for climate action,, the transformation of our energy systems; the protection and resilience of our environment and a resource-efficient economy.
• Enable innovation to provide solutions to the issues we face
• Enhance the capacity of Ireland's R&I system
• Provide support to Irish applicants engaging in EU funding instruments
• Ensuring R&I is disseminated and communicated effectively to inform DCEE's work

DCEE's R&I ecosystem brings together business units, policymakers, researchers, technical and scientific advisory expertise, national research funders, and external partners including:

• Geological Survey Ireland (GSI), the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI), the Environment Protection Agency (EPA), Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) and other Research Performing/Funding Organisations: Collaborating through targeted research calls, fellowships, and joint projects
• Government departments and agencies: Working together to enhance and optimise the national and international R&I system to support our goals
• Citizens, industry and innovation: Working with innovators, communities, and researchers to support research from fundamental, social and behavioural research to deployment and demonstration, to uptake
• EU and international partners: Engaging through EU funding and global networks to share best practices and attract investment for Ireland

Internally, DCEE is implementing its Research and Innovation Strategy to 2030, which includes enhancing research governance structures, driving the evidence and R&I we need for policy and implementation, and creating optimised mechanisms for knowledge transfer between research and practice.

DCEE participates in various national R&I committees including the Impact 2030 Steering Committee and Implementation Forum, the Civil Service Research Network, Horizon Europe High Level Group, and various sectoral R&I groups.

Case Study 1 – Land Use Review Phase 2 Research Studies (EPA funded)

The Land Use Review is a Programme for Government and Climate Action Plan deliverable which seeks to ensure that optimal land use options inform all relevant government decisions.

As the workplan for Phase 2 of the Land Use Review was being developed, several knowledge gaps were identified. This included what the role of private 'green' finance might be to incentivise and fund land use change activities.

DCEE staff highlighted the need for this work to be undertaken in line with the timeline of the Land Use Review to the EPA. The EPA were responsible for Phase 1 of the Land Use Review and manage a national environmental research programme that delivers essential scientific support for environmental policy development, implementation and broader decision making.

The EPA provides a Fast-Track to Policy (FTP) Funding scheme which aims to deliver rapid-turn-around evidence reviews to address urgent and emerging policy questions. 3 FTP projects were undertaken as part of Phase 2 of the Land Use Review and were delivered by academic leads in different universities and by a consultancy for this case study.

This case study examined the potential role that private "green" finance could play in incentivising, for example, switching from one land use to another or allowing "multi-functional" or multi-purpose land use. The study comprised a broad literature review to analyse key funding mechanisms and reports in this area. Interviews were conducted with national and international practitioners in the public and private sectors.

Both DCEE policy and technical staff were involved in the entirety of the FTP project, which included the specification of the deliverables of the project, the assessment of project applications received, the project steering group, and the approval of the final report.

On foot of the FTP Project, staff working on Phase 2 of the Land Use Review had a strong evidence base with recommendations from this research which were used to inform the delivery of Phase 2 of the Land Use Review. The FTP project delivered prompt outputs in the timeline provided. The results of this project can be built upon in the future to progress outcomes from the Land Use Review and related work across government including the Nature Restoration Law and Water Action Plan. The work can also be used to progress the use of Natural Capital Accounting, as detailed in the National Biodiversity Action Plan.

Case Study 2 – The Poolbeg Project (SEAI funded)

We all know the best way to eliminate needless waste is to reduce, reuse and recycle – but further research is required to enable more effective ways to store and integrate excess renewable energy.

Using Dublin's Poolbeg area as a case study, The Poolbeg Project, funded under the SEAI's 2021 National Energy Research Development and Demonstration (RD&D) Call, set out to explore how coupling of the electricity, heat and transport sectors can ultimately facilitate our national climate objectives. The project investigated how to make use of curtailed or wasted renewable energy from offshore wind, from the nearby waste-to-energy plant in Poolbeg.

The research was led by Codema and MullanGrid Consulting, with collaboration from Dublin City Council and Dublin Waste-to-Energy, and focused on how district heat with thermal storage, and a separate hydrogen electrolyser, along with curtailed renewable energy and hydrogen end-use applications can provide an efficient and integrated energy system solution.

The project found that thermal energy storage is an effective solution that requires significantly less land area and is cheaper than other potential solutions, such as battery storage. It also highlighted that the future of integrating renewable energy requires an integration of the electricity, heat, and transport sectors that up until now have worked with limited integration.

The ultimate outcome was a renewable energy vision for the Poolbeg area of Dublin City across the electricity, heat and transport sectors and provided several outcomes, including:

• development of 2030 and 2040 wind energy curtailment scenarios, including curtailed energy profiles.
• development of an analysis of future hydrogen potential in Dublin.
• development of a green hydrogen production model, in the context of resources available in the Poolbeg area of Dublin.
• development of a district heating and thermal storage model in the context of resources available in the Poolbeg area of Dublin.

Further case studies on the impact of the SEAI RD&D Programme can be found in the programme's Impact Report 2025.

Case Study 3 – IFI Climate Change Mitigation Programme

Climate change is one of the greatest threats facing Ireland's aquatic environment and its biodiversity. This IFI programme aims to measure long-term changes in water temperature and other environmental characteristics in Irish rivers, lakes and estuaries and examine the threats posed by climate change to our native fish species and their habitats.

Ireland's mean annual air temperature is rising, and this is set to continue as climate change progresses. Our summers are becoming hotter with less rainfall and increased periods of drought, while our winters are expected to become wetter with more frequent, heavy downpours.

The effects of climate change will have a significant effect on the natural water cycle of our rivers, leading to flooding events, drought and habitat loss. This in turn, will have an impact on our wildlife and result in changes to both the behaviour and geographic distribution of important, native fish species, such as the Arctic char, Atlantic salmon and brown trout. Furthermore, changing environments may facilitate range expansion of non-native or invasive species, even helping them to out-compete native species.

This project examines temperature, flow and other environmental variables. As water heats, its capacity to hold oxygen decreases and causes stresses to fish. In extreme situations, this may even lead to death. Cold water species such as the Atlantic salmon, Arctic char and brown trout are particularly at risk and expected to suffer more because of climate change in this country. Other species, such as the temperature-tolerant roach may benefit. By examining climate change effects and its impact on Irish fisheries, we can make predictions for the future and develop methods to "mitigate" or reduce its potential impact.

The main objective of this work is to begin a long-term water temperature, fish and habitat monitoring programme, using the best mapping tools and analyses available. We will then be able to identify waterbodies most at risk from climate change throughout Ireland and find ways of reducing its impact.

Case Study 4 – RiWET: Enhancing Peatland Policy through Community Engagement

DCEE is an associated policy authority in the Interreg Europe RiWET Project, providing €79,000 in match funding over four years, supporting the project until its conclusion in 2028. The project formally commenced with a kick-off meeting in August 2024.

The RiWET Project aims to address governance challenges within public-social-private partnerships to enhance community engagement in the management of water-related ecosystems—specifically rivers, lakes, wetlands, and peatlands. A key focus is the rehabilitation of degraded peatlands on private land through the development of a Policy Instrument (PI). This PI is intended to support the delivery of actions in Ireland's Climate Action Plan, particularly those concerning the rewetting of private drained peatlands and water table management on organic soils

Ireland possesses one of the highest proportions of peatland in Europe, covering approximately 1.46 million hectares or 20.6% of the national land area. Much of this land is in private ownership, making stakeholder cooperation critical. Climate Action Plan 2024 outlines ambitious targets for peatland restoration, including 65,900 hectares of rehabilitated peatlands and a reduction in management intensity on a further 80,000 hectares of grasslands on drained organic soils. Meeting these targets will require new forms of collaborative governance and community buy-in.

The RiWET Project seeks to strengthen these efforts through a community-led, integrated catchment approach. Rather than creating new rewetting schemes, the project facilitates the exchange of good practices and applied research from across Europe to inform the development of policy tools that build social license and encourage voluntary landowner participation.

The PI, once refined, will be formally transferred to DCEE. It is expected to inform Climate Action Plan measures, enhance governance knowledge in multi-stakeholder partnerships, and fill critical gaps in engagement strategy and social science data. Key learning objectives include how to incentivise private landowner participation, apply lessons from paludiculture practices, and adapt successful models from other EU countries to the Irish context.

Ultimately, the RiWET Project represents a valuable opportunity for Ireland to integrate community perspectives into climate action policy and to strengthen the enabling conditions necessary to meet peatland restoration targets.

Case Study 5 – GEMINI Project (GSI)

GSI are a partner in the €20 million project GEMINI: Geothermal Energy Momentum on the Island of Ireland, funded by the Special EU Programmes Body through the PEACEPLUS programme. The project is made up of fourteen organisations from both sides of the border, including the Geological Survey of Northern Ireland, and is led by Codema. It is working to develop, for the first time on the island, a joint approach to geothermal energy technology on a cross-border basis. The project began in mid-2024 and will run for 4 years.

Geothermal energy is renowned across the world as an extremely low-carbon energy technology that is secure and stable. It remains under-utilised in Ireland at present; this is attributed to i) a lack of general awareness of our geothermal resources, ii) absence of specific legislation and regulation, and iii) high costs of installation and lack of appropriate financing for geothermal projects. DCEE are addressing the legislator and regulatory barriers through the publication of a Policy Statement on Geothermal Energy for a Circular Economy and is currently drafting legislation. Research conducted to date by GSI has quantified significant geothermal resource potential across Ireland, particularly for the heating and cooling of homes, businesses and industrial processes.

The GEMINI project aims to drive geothermal energy adoption across Ireland by addressing some of the barriers mentioned above. GEMINI will use flagship geothermal installations at demonstration sites across Ireland – a regional sports centre, a net-zero training hub for social housing, a university campus and a water service provider – to test solutions to deliver clean, renewable heating and cooling. GEMINI will develop guidance on technical solutions, cost insights, governance, planning tools, procurement and business models. These resources will support the long-term growth of a sustainable, geothermal sector in Ireland. The project will also help to create the necessary supply of technical expertise by developing joint education, training and skills frameworks. The project outcomes will support the implementation of the Policy Statement on Geothermal Energy for a Circular Economy.

GSI have a leading role in the project and will lead 2 out of 3 main GEMINI work areas; i) enabling deep geothermal energy development on the island of Ireland, and ii) inclusion and prosperity through training, engagement and business development. GSI will also perform a key role providing technical guidance to the project teams installing geothermal systems at Sligo Regional Sports Centre, and TU Dublin's campus at Grangegorman. Both real-world installations build upon several years of research conducted by GSI, including deep drilling and pre-feasibility studies.

Case Study 6 – Ireland's First Circularity Gap Report.

In late 2023, DCEE commissioned Circle Economy Foundation, a global impact organisation, to develop a 'circularity gap analysis', to determine Ireland's circularity baseline, by analysing how materials flow through the Irish economy. Circle Economy Foundation have produced similar circularity gap reports for other jurisdictions, including Denmark, Austria, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

This analysis uses national material flow data to uncover Ireland’s circularity baseline. Using 2020 as a baseline year (the latest for which data was more comprehensively available), it uncovered how material resources—including non-metallic minerals, biomass, metal ores, and fossil fuels— are extracted, used, and disposed of, as well as the key drivers of these processes. It analysed how materials flow through the Irish economy as the starting point for measuring its level of circularity.

Throughout 2024, with significant input and guidance from DCEE officials, Circle Economy Foundation engaged with key stakeholders such as the Central Statistics Office and EPA in addition to convening two stakeholder coalition events.

The Circularity Gap Report Ireland, launched at the EPA's Circular Economy Conference in September 2024, indicates that our Circularity Metric stands at 2.7%—meaning that over 97% of the materials flowing through our economy come from virgin sources.

The Circularity Gap Report has also shown that whilst Ireland still operates within a linear model, with high material and carbon footprints, advancing the circular economy has transformative potential for the country, and that it is possible to reduce resource use while simultaneously reducing inequality and improving wellbeing. The report also demonstrated that transitioning to a more circular society helps decarbonisation, competitiveness and economic security.

This evidence base was key to the development of the second Whole-of-Government Circular Economy Strategy, which is currently being finalised for public consultation, in the autumn of 2025.

The forthcoming Strategy will make the business case for the circular economy while supporting practices such as ecodesign, repair, reuse and remanufacturing. It will provide for incentives that will create a level playing field for circular economy actors, practices and products, and leverage public procurement to create a market for circular products and practices.

National Modelling Assets for Energy and Climate Change Mitigation

The document, created by the Department of the Taoiseach's Research and Modelling Group, describes and maps the National Modelling Assets for Energy and Climate Change Mitigation.

Its purpose is to improve understanding of the various models used in climate and energy policy making, highlight modelling capacity, show interconnections between different model assets, aid in the identification of any capacity gaps, and provide opportunities to strengthen Ireland’s overall modelling system.

You can view the document on the Department of the Taoiseach's website.

This year, DCEE will publish its first R&I Needs Statement, setting out the department's R&I needs and areas of interest. This will help ensure alignment between DCEE's needs and the national research and innovation system and foster more effective collaboration with society, academia and innovation partners.