17 December 2024
Teagasc researchers secure funding for new policy-focused research projects
A number of Teagasc researchers have been awarded funding as part of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine’s 2024 Policy and Strategic Studies Research Call.
Announced yesterday, December 16, by Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine with special responsibility for research, Martin Heydon, the projects will range in length from 12 or 24 months.
Teagasc researchers awarded funding include:
- Orla Keane will co-ordinate a project titled: Multi-species swards for herd health;
- Mohammad Mohammadrezaei will co-ordinate a project titled: Explaining Climate Change Mitigation Uptake Behaviour Change Dynamics: Farmers’ Attitudes, Motivations, and Barriers (EMIT-CHANGE);
- Karen Daly will co-ordinate a project titled: A National Soil Strategy and Monitoring Programme for Ireland;
- Niamh Field will co-ordinate a project titled: Association between herd bovine tuberculosis breakdown and herd nutritional, metabolic and immune status;
- Kevin Kilcline will co-ordinate a project titled: Evaluating National And EU Comprehensive Targets in Organics;
- Áine Regan will co-ordinate a project titled: Optimising Biosecurity Risk Communication Pathways for Bovine Tuberculosis;
- Fiona Thorne will co-ordinate a project titled: Feasibility Assessment for Organic Feed Milling (FARM);
- Michael Gaffney will co-ordinate a project titled: Steps towards developing a framework to establish the economic and structural impact of potential invasive plant pest introductions in Irish Agriculture.
As part of the overall announcement, Minster Heydon awarded a total funding of €4 million for 21 new policy-focused research projects in nine Irish research performing organisations.
Commenting on the 2024 Call, Minister Heydon said: “There is a wide breath of policy areas covered by the successful projects. This includes three projects related to TB which will examine biosecurity measures and communication, modelling for badger population dynamics, and the association between herd bovine TB breakdown and herd nutritional, metabolic and immune status.
“I am also pleased to be able to award funding to two projects which directly address recommendations of the Food Vision Tillage Group: investigating the feasibility of oilseed crops processing in Ireland, and a feasibility assessment of organic feed milling.”
In his concluding remarks, Minister Heydon commented: “My department is committed to funding high quality, public-good research that addresses knowledge gaps and develops the evidence for public policy, strategy and regulation. These 21 projects will make an important contribution to this and I look forward to their findings and outputs over the coming two years.”