Minister Dooley Visits Teagasc Ashtown to Review Seafood Innovation and Bioeconomy Projects
Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine with special responsibility for Fisheries and the Marine, Timmy Dooley T.D., visited the Teagasc Ashtown Food Research Centre to meet with Teagasc and Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM) and to review joint initiatives supporting innovation, sustainability and value growth in Ireland’s seafood sector and the blue bioeconomy.
Minister Timmy Dooley (T.D.) recently visited the National Prepared Consumer Food Centre (NPCFC) at Teagasc Ashtown. Pictured (L-R): Professor. Brijesh Tiwari, Teagasc; Dr. Geraldine Duffy, Enterprise Lead, Teagasc; Shay Hannon, National Prepared Consumer Food Centre Manager, Teagasc; Dr. Rahel Suchintita Das, Teagasc; Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine with special responsibility for Fisheries and the Marine, Timmy Dooley T.D.
Located on a thirty‑hectare campus on the outskirts of Dublin, the Ashtown Food Research Centre is home to advanced facilities including the National Prepared Consumer Food Centre (NPCFC), a biocontainment level 3 food safety facility, pilot-scale processing plants, sensory science laboratories, and nutraceutical research infrastructure. The NPCFC provides state‑of‑the‑art pilot-scale processing equipment and analytical laboratories that enable companies to develop new products, test technologies, and collaborate with Teagasc researchers on innovation projects.
Speaking during the visit, Minister Timmy Dooley T.D. praised the impact of the work underway, stating: “It is clear that Teagasc and BIM are delivering real impact for the seafood sector. The projects showcased demonstrate how research, innovation and industry collaboration can unlock new opportunities, improve sustainability, and strengthen Ireland’s position in the blue bioeconomy.”
Dr Geraldine Duffy, Head of Enterprise at Teagasc Ashtown, welcomed the Ministers visit and engagement, noting; “We are delighted to have Minister Dooley on site in Ashtown. The work underway in Ashtown is helping seafood processors to develop new products, reduce waste and adopt technologies that support long‑term competitiveness. Our partnership with BIM ensures that scientific research is directly connected to industry needs.”
During a tour of the NPCFC, the Minister was briefed on several major projects demonstrating the potential of marine resources, co‑product valorisation, and sustainable processing technologies. These included AIMBIO, a €4.5 million Shared Island DAFM/DAERA initiative led by Professor Brijesh Tiwari and Shay Hannon, which is developing all-island marine biorefineries capable of converting marine side streams into high‑value ingredients for food, feed, cosmetics, and bio-based chemicals. A major component of this project will be hosted at Ashtown, building a new marine biorefinery and leveraging NPCFC facilities to develop scalable biorefinery technologies.
The Minister also reviewed IMPRESS, a €5.9 million Horizon Europe project, also led by Professor Tiwari, which is developing sustainable food and non-food products from underutilised low‑trophic species such as roach, sprat, and lumpfish, while also valorising solid and liquid waste streams from fish processing.
Michael Gallagher, BIM Director of Innovation and Development, emphasised the value of coordinated support, saying: “BIM and Teagasc share a commitment to help the seafood sector grow its value in a sustainable way. These projects show how targeted investment and strong collaboration can deliver real benefits for coastal communities and the wider marine economy.”
Further research projects highlighted included work on developing a fish-based bio stimulant from underutilised species, where Teagasc has optimised scale‑up and product assessment. Research is also progressing on new co‑product processing technologies that convert whole fish and by‑products into high‑quality pastes suitable for value‑added foods, supported by Teagasc expertise in product development and sensory evaluation and BIM. As part of his visit, Minister Dooley met several of the researchers leading this work, including Dr Maria Hayes, whose research focuses on bioactives, novel proteins and marine‑derived health ingredients. He also engaged with Shay Hannon and members of the wider Teagasc Food Programme teams with staff from Food Industry Department, Bia Innovator and other core Food programme departments in food safety, biosciences, chemistry. These discussions provided the Minister with a clear view of the depth of scientific expertise and industry‑focused innovation underway at Ashtown.