Ministers Heydon and Grealish Announce Major €37.5 million investment in research for agri-food, forest and bioeconomy

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: “This €37.5 million research programme brings together leading scientists, research institutions and industry partners, ensuring that outcomes are both scientifically robust and directly applicable in real-world settings.”

Minister Grealish added: “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.