The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced funding of €6.6million for targeted new research projects to address environmental, climate and sustainability challenges in Ireland.
The funding will support targeted research projects that address specific needs from across the policy community, with a focus on shorter projects to provide timely outputs.
The EPA is inviting proposals from the research community for innovative projects under 29 topics that will contribute to the development and implementation of environmental policies in Ireland. Topics include how to enhance the reuse of water in Ireland, assessing methane emissions and exploring the impact of global megatrends on achieving environmental objectives.
Announcing the EPA funding call, Dr Eimear Cotter, Director of the EPA’s Office of Evidence and Assessment said:
“The EPA’s continued investment in research underscores its critical role in addressing knowledge gaps and supporting effective policy responses to the challenges posed by climate change and environmental degradation. In 2024, we were delighted to see an 80 per cent increase in applications to the EPA research call, highlighting the significant opportunity that researchers see for their work to contribute to environmental and climate policy development, and we hope to see a similarly strong response to our 2025 call.”
Dr Darragh O’Neill, EPA Research Manager, said:
“The EPA is inviting proposals across 29 topics to address specific knowledge gaps. To strengthen the connection between research and policy, the EPA will support the successful research teams in working closely with the policy community to deliver impactful research outcomes. We particularly encourage early career researchers to apply and to consider the relevance of their research to the environment, climate and sustainability.”
The EPA Research Programme is a Government of Ireland initiative funded by the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications. Applications are accepted from across the island of Ireland, including from higher education institutions, research performing organisations, private companies and non-governmental organisations. Under this year’s call, the EPA is partnering with Met Éireann, the Office of Public Works and the National Parks and Wildlife Service to co-fund projects in areas of mutual interest.
