On the 25th February 2026 Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon TD, and Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment, Darragh O’Brien TD announced €10 million in funding for two bioeconomy demonstration initiatives. This is the second call under the EU Just Transition Fund Bioeconomy Demonstration Initiative, which is co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union. This call is designed to deliver practical, investable bioeconomy solutions in Ireland’s Just Transition Fund Territory in the Midlands, which supports communities and businesses to build new, low-carbon biobased value chains as the region moves away from peat. Both projects will anchor their demonstration activity, biomass procurement and industry collaboration in the Midlands, generating local investment, supply-chain opportunities, and skills development.
Funding of €5 million is being awarded to the ‘BIOCHAR’ project led by University of Limerick while a further €5 million is being awarded to ‘TRANSFORM’, which is led by University College Dublin.
Commenting on the announcement, Minister Heydon said: “I am delighted to announce this €10 million in funding for two new bioeconomy demonstrator projects, as part of the EU Just Transition Fund. The BIOCHAR and TRANSFORM projects will demonstrate the potential uses of biochar in agriculture, bioenergy and sustainability, as well as transforming agri-food byproducts and waste into functional ingredients. This investment will build on the €22 million already committed to other bioeconomy pilot projects, demonstrating the Government’s commitment to ensuring the bioeconomy is scaled up across our economy and our rural areas.”
