A multi-million euro package of grant aid will be unveiled today (Tuesday, July 9) for 21 new pioneering research projects focused on the agri-food, forest and bioeconomy sectors.

Minister of State with special responsibility for research and development at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM), Martin Heydon, will outline details of the projects at an event to take place in Farmleigh House in Dublin.

Last March DAFM launched a Thematic Research Call seeking proposals that would help to "futureproof" primary producers and agri-food sector and contribute to major challenges such as climate mitigation and adaptation, biodiversity, water quality and sustainable farming.

As part of the ongoing programme of North-South co-operation on agri-food research and innovation, the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) in Northern Ireland also collaborated on the research call.

Minister Heydon has confirmed that a total of 17 organisations and universities have secured funding for new research projects.

"This will see research work being conducted across a wide range of areas including, low emissions dairy production, carbon sequestration in agricultural soils, developing farmland nature credits, optimising oat production and processing for healthy foods, assessing the impact of deer in forestry, advancing the Irish wool sector, sustainable packaging materials, and improving shelf life of dairy products, among others," the minister said.

The 21 new projects will focus on issues including:

Climate change mitigation and adaptation; 
Water quality and biodiversity;
Animal health and welfare;
Antimicrobial and anthelmintic resistance;
Food safety;
Food health and nutrition;
Food packaging; 
Bioeconomy.

The investment boost to be announced today follows on from other major investments by DAFM, including €9.6 million for 12 projects under the last thematic research call in 2021, €3.6 million for four projects under the Ireland-New Zealand agriculture and climate research partnership, and €4.5 million for 19 projects under the Policy and Strategic Studies Research Call.

Minister Heydon said that the latest investment boost "will help equip the Irish agriculture, food, forest and bioeconomy sectors with the science and technology they need to become even more sustainable and competitive into the future.” 

He has also detailed that the funding will support 48 postgraduate student positions and a further 55 post-doctoral and contract researchers across the 17 institutes receiving funding.