Research and Innovation

The Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications (DECC) plays a central role in shaping the transition to a climate-neutral, sustainable, and digitally connected Ireland. 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, DECC 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, transform our energy system, digital development, transition to circularity, and restore, protect and enhance our natural environment.

DECC'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, DECC is helping to:

• Deliver evidence-based policies for climate action, circular economy, energy systems, environmental protection and geosciences.
• 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 DECC's work

DECC'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 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, DECC 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.

DECC 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.

This year, DECC 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 DECC's needs and the national research and innovation system and foster more effective collaboration with society, academia and innovation partners.