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The two research centres will formally commence activities on 1 January, 2024, and will be co-funded by Ireland until the end of the decade.
The Government has announced €70m in joint funding with Northern Ireland and the UK to establish two collaborative research centres that will focus on climate and food sustainability.
Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Simon Harris, TD, said the funding will bring together academics, industry and policymakers across the Irish Government, the UK government and departments in the Northern Ireland government.
“Addressing climate change and achieving sustainable and resilient food systems are intertwined challenges facing us all. This investment in two new collaborative research centres is a major development in addressing these pressing issues in a coordinated and concerted way,” Harris said in the announcement at Farmleigh House in Dublin today (28 November).
“I’m delighted to see the very best minds and methods being brought together to create a dynamic research network across Ireland, Northern Ireland and Great Britain.”
The co-centres will formally commence activities on 1 January, 2024, and will be funded until the end of the decade. €40m of the investment comes from Science Foundation Ireland, £17m from Northern Ireland and £12m through UK Research and Innovation.
Michelle Donelan, MP, the UK secretary of state for science, innovation and technology, said that the UK and Ireland share “deep ties” and face many of the same challenges.
“From our groundbreaking international work on AI, to our deal to join Horizon, the UK is determined to seize the opportunities for growth and prosperity that can be delivered when we work together on science and tech with our neighbours,” she said.
“By bringing together the genius that exists across our islands, we will unlock the new ideas and inventions that will help us secure our food chains and tackle climate change, delivering innovative solutions for global good.”
Katrina Godfrey, permanent secretary at Northern Ireland’s Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, who was also present at Farmleigh House today, said she is pleased Northern Irish researchers will be “integral” to the establishment of the co-centres.
“The co-centres programme is an excellent example of government funders working in partnership to support researchers and industry who will undertake cutting-edge research in areas of mutual economic, societal, health and environmental importance.”
One of the co-centres will be jointly managed by University College Dublin and Queen’s University Belfast, which will work closely with the University of Sheffield to focus on food sustainability.
The other climate-focused centre will be hosted by Trinity College Dublin, with partner institutions from across Ireland and the UK.
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