Tranche II Funding of €22.3 million has been announced for 21 new research projects arising from the ‘2023 DAFM Thematic Research Call’. This funding combined with the first tranche of successful projects announced in 2023, amounts to overall funding of €46m. This is the largest ever committed by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) for a research call.
The research work being conducted by the successful projects will cover 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.
The 2023 DAFM Thematic Research Call funding will support 48 postgraduate student positions and a further 55 postdoctoral and contract researchers across 17 institutes. Over 200 research positions will be supported across the two tranches.
Cooperation on agri-food research and innovation projects between organisation north and south of the border continues as the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, Northern Ireland are providing funding worth €475,202 to enable two Northern Irish organisations to partner with partners in Ireland.
The full list of successful projects to receive Tranche II 2023 DAFM Thematic Research Call funding:
- Low-emissions dairy production without fertilizer N or herbicides
Coordinator: James Humphreys, Teagasc - Carbon sequestration from Agricultural soils from different Land-uses, Managements and Soil types
Coordinator: Rachael Murphy, Teagasc - Developing strategies for the different sectors of Irish Agriculture to adapt to Climate change challenges
Coordinator: Elodie Ruelle, Teagasc - Management of peatland forests for climate, biodiversity and water quality
Coordinator: Ken Byrne, University of Limerick - Developing Farmland Nature Credits to Accelerate the Sustainable Transition in Irish Agriculture
Coordinator: Yvonne Buckley, Trinity College Dublin - Assessing the impact of deer in Irish forest ecosystems to inform evidence-based deer management and policy
Coordinator: Simone Ciuti, University College Dublin - Health and welfare of calves reared in Ireland or undergoing Intra-Community Trade
Coordinator: Emer Kennedy, Teagasc - Detecting plant nursery pathogens using HTS technology
Coordinator: Trevor Hodkinson, Trinity College Dublin - Sustainable reduction of antimicrobial use at dry-off in dairy farms
Coordinator: Pablo Silva Bolona, Teagasc - Managing Anthelmintic Resistance in Cattle Sustainably
Coordinator: Orla Keane, Teagasc - Risk analysis of Salmonella contamination on poultry farms incorporating novel biosecurity
Coordinator: Declan Bolton, Teagasc - Modelling Estimates for Agricultural Sustainability Using Real Evidence
Coordinator: Emma Dillon, Teagasc - SPRING WOOL – removing bottlenecks and providing a springboard for innovation in the Irish Grown Wool sector.
Coordinator: Tim Yeomans, Munster Technological University - Federating Irish research infrastructures to accelerate development of sustainable bioprocesses
Coordinator: John Morrissey, University College Cork - Industry level data integration and development of a digital sustainability platform and decision support tool for agricultural production systems in Ireland
Coordinator: Jonathan Herron, Teagasc - Integrated production of nanocellulose fibres, lignin, and cellulase from agricultural wastes for use in sustainable food packaging materials
Coordinator: Amit Jaiswal, Technological University Dublin - Sarcopenia in the Older post-menopausal Woman – sustainable Plant protein Solutions
Coordinator: Linda Giblin, Teagasc - Assessing the risk of foodborne pathogen contamination in fresh fruit and vegetable productions
Coordinator: Achim Schmalenberger, University of Limerick - Improved Shelf-Life of Dairy Products Through Zein Augmented Packaging Solutions
Coordinator: Joe Kerry, University College Cork - Healthy Oats: Closing the Circle: Optimising Parameters for Oat Growth, Bioctive Extraction, and Processing to Produce Sustainable Fortified Food-For-Health Products.
Coordinator: Amalia Scannell, University College Dublin - Thermo-Reversing Advanced Nutritional Structures as Fortification Option in Recipes for Malnutrition
Coordinator: Tom O’Callaghan, University College Cork
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