UCC’s Dr Archishman Bose will investigate the regenerative value systems for Irish grown wool in Ireland. Image: © Evaldas/Stock.adobe.com
Half of this year’s successful awardees were first-time applicants, the EPA said.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced €14.5m for 25 new research projects aimed at addressing the climate crisis.
According to the environment watchdog, the “policy-relevant” projects will target knowledge gaps and support the development of research in strategically important areas.
Newly funded projects include investigating the Irish population’s attitudes towards climate change, mitigating the risks posed by electronic waste, and understanding the susceptibility and resistance of trees to diseases,
Seven of the projects approved for this year’s funding call are from Trinity College Dublin (TCD) – the highest this year, with several of the projects being awarded more than €650,000.
Prof Laurence Gill, the chair of environmental engineering in the School of Engineering at TCD, has been awarded nearly €660,000 for his project ‘Fen conservation, restoration and ecosystem services’. While Dr Archishman Bose from University College Cork will be investigating ‘Regenerative value systems for Irish grown wool in Ireland’, with an awarded of €657,000.
This year’s grants – some of which the EPA is co-funding with Met Éireann or the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine – will support almost 200 research staff across 10 organisations, including funding around 50 PhD and postgraduate students.
Moreover, half of this year’s successful awardees are first-time applicants, which the EPA said is “a welcome and positive trend that reflects a broadening of the research base in Ireland relevant to environmental and climate issues”.
“Our latest EPA State of the Environment Report highlights the scale of challenges facing Ireland and the need for determined action across climate, sustainable consumption, biodiversity and pollution goals,” the watchdog’s director-general Laura Burke said.
“This new EPA funding will help to build the vital research talent and knowledge needed in Ireland to respond to these challenges and achieve a healthier environment.”
The annual research call is a key element of the EPA’s 2030 research strategy which seeks to provide scientific support for environmental policy development and implementation. It focuses on improving the evidence around climate change, facilitating a greener and circular economy, protecting and restoring the natural environment, as well as delivering a healthier environment.
This year’s funding call will open for applications in April, the EPA said. While last year, it funded 33 research projects with a total of €14.3m, supporting more than 200 researchers across 13 Irish organisations.
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