Ministers Heydon and Grealish Announce Major €37.5 million Investment in Research for Agri-Food, Forest and Bioeconomy
- Foilsithe:
- An t-eolas is déanaí:
The multi-million-euro package of research awards will be unveiled today (30 April, 2026) for 30 new pioneering research projects for the agri-food, forest and bioeconomy sectors.
Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Martin Heydon TD, and Minister of State with special responsibility for Research and Development Noel Grealish TD, will today announce funding of €37.5 million for 30 projects to support research across 19 institutes.
Commenting on the announcement, Minister Heydon said:
This €37.5 million in awards is an investment in the future of Ireland’s agri-food, forest and bioeconomy sectors. Cutting-edge research and innovation are essential to ensuring that these sectors remain competitive, resilient and sustainable in the years ahead.
Key areas of focus include innovation and value-add in the food sector while addressing healthy diets, improving water quality, enhancing biodiversity, tackling climate change, strengthening animal health and welfare, and advancing farm safety.
Minister Heydon remarked:
Our farmers and food producers need access to the best possible evidence, technologies and practices. This research investment will generate the insights and innovations required to meet those needs – with projects covering areas such as functional foods for healthy ageing, improving water quality response times at catchment level, fibre-based packaging for longer shelf life, new approaches to tracking and controlling TB, and a first of its kind study in Ireland testing feed additives for reduced methane over an animal’s lifetime.
Commenting on the announcement, Minister Grealish said:
Collaboration is at the heart of this investment. I am delighted to see that the projects will involve the education and training of over 90 postgraduate students and over 60 contract researchers, thus ensuring a continuous stream of highly skilled scientific talent coming through to our industry.
As part of the on-going North-South co-operation on agri-food research and innovation, the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA), Northern Ireland collaborated in this research call and will provide co-funding of €3.1 million to enable research performing organisations in Northern Ireland to participate in projects with partners in Ireland. A total of six projects will benefit from this collaboration.
Speaking to this North-South collaboration, Andrew Muir, Minister of Agriculture, Environment, and Rural Affairs of Northern Ireland, said:
The Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine 2025 Competitive Call demonstrates the strength and value of the long-standing partnership between the Department of Agriculture, Environment, and Rural Affairs of Northern Ireland and the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine, which since 2015 has enabled Northern Ireland scientists to collaborate in high quality, all island research addressing shared challenges and opportunities. The projects being launched today reflect our shared commitment to science that is innovative, collaborative and impactful science that informs policy, supports innovation, and delivers real benefits for sustainable agriculture, environmental protection, and rural communities. Department of Agriculture, Environment, and Rural Affairs is proud to co fund this programme and to work closely with the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine to maximise the return on public investment and build the scientific capability needed to meet current and future priorities.
Further co-funding of €750,000 will be provided by the Department of Health for one project.
ENDS
Notes for Editor:
DAFM 2025 Thematic Research Call
The DAFM 2025 Thematic Research Call implements the thematic research strand of the Department’s support for research. More information about the five research support strands operated by DAFM can be found here.
The Call sought proposals across four thematic areas: (i) Climate Mitigation and Adaptation, Agri-Environment, Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, (ii) Smart, Sustainable Animal & Plant Production, Health & Welfare, (iii) Bioeconomy, Rural Economy, Agri-Digitalisation & Data, and (iv) Safe, Nutritious and Sustainable Food Processing and Consumption.
The Research Call and associated awards fulfil a number of measures in the Food Vision 2030 Strategy (Mission 4: an innovative, competitive and resilient agri-food sector, driven by technology and talent) and the Impact 2030: Ireland’s Research and Innovation Strategy.
Call Statistics
- 16 research performing organisations
- 161 research positions:
- 94 postgraduate research positions (83 PhDs and 11 MScs)
- 67 contract research positions
- Funding sources:
- DAFM: €33.7 million
- DAERA NI: €3.1 million
- DoH: €0.75 million
| Project Title | Coordinator | Lead Institution | Partnering Institutions | Grant Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) Fibre-Based Packaging with Enhanced Barrier Properties for Shelf-Life Extension of Perishable Horticultural Produce |
Swarna Jaiswal |
Technological University Dublin |
Teagasc, University College Cork |
€ 747,582 |
| National Children's Food Survey III | Janette Walton |
Munster Technological University |
Technological University Dublin, University College Dublin |
€1,499,301 including DoH cofund of €750k |
|
FIELD2FLOUR Ireland: Cultivating a Sustainable Future |
Eimear Gallagher | Teagasc |
South East Technological University, University College Cork, University College Dublin |
€ 1,495,079 |
|
Project: Development of novel functional foods to meet the protein requirements in weight management and ageing cohorts |
Noel McCarthy | Teagasc |
University College Cork |
€ 732,300 |
|
Valorising Innovative Plant Ingredients - Naturally Generated Resource Extracts, Delivering Indigenous & Essential Nutrition Through Sustainability |
Mark Fenelon | Teagasc |
South East Technological University, University College Cork, University College Dublin |
€ 1,573,392 |
|
Protein-I-2 – ‘Advancing Ireland’s Sustainable Protein Transition’ |
Lorraine Brennan |
University College Dublin |
Teagasc University College Cork Atlantic Technological University |
€ 1,572,560 |
|
boviSNP: SNP-based tracking of Mycobacterium bovis for improved bTB control across the island of Ireland |
Stephen Gordon |
University College Dublin |
Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute, Queens University Belfast |
DAFM €1,303,461 including DAERA cofund €516,023 |
|
All Island of Ireland Surveillance of Zoonotic Pathogens |
Virginie GAUTIER |
University College Dublin |
Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute, Queens University Belfast, Teagasc |
DAFM €2,988,970 including DAERA cofund €1,211,333 |
|
Improving fertiliser N recommendations for cereals in Ireland. |
Richie Hackett | Teagasc |
South East Technological University |
€ 641,001 |
|
Defining limit levels for clean WOOL - Measurable Acceptable Residues & Key Environmental Definitions |
Tim Yeomans |
Munster Technological University |
University College Cork |
€ 244,521 |
|
Antimicrobial resistance dynamics, evolution and emerging threats in the environment |
Fiona Walsh |
Maynooth University |
Teagasc, University College Dublin, University of Galway |
€ 2,438,685 |
|
Water Quality Response Times for Irish Catchments |
Russell Adams | Teagasc |
University College Dublin, University of Limerick |
€ 1,488,900 |
|
Surveillance and Action for Fighting Clubroot in Oilseed |
Emmanuelle Graciet |
Maynooth University |
Teagasc |
€ 672,334 |
|
Sustainable Circular Green Biorefinery Approaches for Development of Value-add Products from Irish Grasslands |
James Gaffey |
Munster Technological University |
Teagasc, University College Dublin, University of Galway |
€ 2,988,579 |
|
A new GENeration of Irish MILK products based on optimisation of diet and GENetics in Irish dairy cows |
Jonathan Magan | Teagasc |
University College Cork, University College Dublin |
€ 1,407,979 |
|
Advancing Tree Improvement Research for Climate-Resilient, Diverse, and Productive Forests for Ireland |
Dheeraj Rathore | Teagasc |
South East Technological University, Technological University Dublin, University College Dublin |
€ 1,447,975 |
|
Reducing Methane Emissions in Irish Beef Systems through Strategic Use of Feed Additives and Early Life Interventions |
Paul Smith | Teagasc |
Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute, University College Dublin |
DAFM €1,489,942 including DAERA cofund €280,522 |
|
C-BioStock - 3D laser scanning for detecting change in carbon stocks and biodiversity across native and commercial Irish forests |
Maryam Fazlollahi Mohammadi |
South East Technological University (SETU) Waterford |
University College Cork, University College Dublin |
€ 690,032 |
|
Next Generation Functional Foods to Restore Gut Microbiomes for Immune and Metabolic Health |
Jens Walter | University College Cork | Teagasc |
€ 740,879 |
|
Mapping the footprint of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAs) across Ireland |
Eileen Ryan | University College Cork |
Teagasc, University College Dublin |
€ 1,473,121 |
|
SustainHill: Development of a breeding strategy for the Irish hill sheep sector using genetic and genomic tools |
Noirin McHugh | Teagasc |
Irish Cattle Breeding Federation, Munster Technological University |
€ 544,200 |
|
Genetic and Advisory Innovations to Reduce Slaughter Age in Irish Beef Cattle |
Cliona Ryan | Teagasc |
Irish Cattle Breeding Federation, Munster Technological University |
€ 171,063 |
|
Sugar and sWeetener Evaluation for Emerging Technologies With Infant food Solutions for Exposure |
Emma Feeney |
University College Dublin |
Technological University Dublin, Trinity College Dublin |
€ 1,308,752 |
|
Surveillance and Early Warning for Emerging Threats in Livestock using Artificial Intelligence (SENTINEL) |
Conor McAloon |
University College Dublin |
Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute, Queens University Belfast, Teagasc, Technological University Dublin |
DAFM €1,500,452 including DAERA cofund €462,430 |
|
LySyn: Scalable Synthesis of Enzybiotics for Inhibition of Foodborne Pathogens |
Kiefer Ramberg | Dublin City University |
University College Dublin |
€ 735,694 |
|
PEARL-MAP: Pearl Mussel Ecological Analytics & Resource-integrated Land-use Modelling and Action Plan |
James Moran |
Atlantic Technological University (Galway) |
Ulster University |
DAFM €748,925 including DAERA cofund €472,136 |
|
Dynamic modelling of Mycobacterium bovis transmission, diagnosis and control: An All-Island collaboration. |
Miriam Casey |
University College Dublin |
Queens University Belfast |
DAFM €736,975 including DAERA cofund €197,100 |
| Safer by Design | David Meredith | Teagasc |
University College Dublin |
€ 747,892 |
| Disturbance-Resilient Forest Carbon | Kenneth Byrne | University of Limerick |
University College Dublin |
€ 747,430 |
|
Integrated Bio-based Innovations for Sustainable Manufacturing, Construction, and Pharmaceutical Applications from Irish Forest Biomass |
Patrick McGetrick | University of Galway |
Atlantic Technological University, Dublin City University, Teagasc, Technological University Dublin, Trinity College Dublin |
€ 2,687,015 |