Ireland’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has launched its annual Research Call and is now seeking proposals from the research community to help identify solutions to emerging and complex environmental problems.
The Research Call highlights the importance of a clean, healthy and well-protected environment for our health, our wellbeing and our quality of life.
With up to €9.5m available for new research projects, the Research Calls are divided into three strands: Water; Climate & Air, and Environmental Sustainability.
Managed by the EPA and funded by the Government through the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment, the research call is designed to support the implementation of environmental policies in Ireland.
The Research Call is designed to support the implementation of environmental policies in Ireland including:
- the National Climate Mitigation Plan
- National Climate Adaption Framework
- Circular Economy Action Plans and Strategies
- Biodiversity National Action Plan and National Peatlands Strategy
- Clean Air Strategy
- UN Sustainable Development Goals Implementation Plan
- National River Basin Management Plan.
Dr Alice Wemaere, EPA research manager, said: “The EPA Research Programme funds research that addresses knowledge gaps and provides the evidence base to inform policy-making by government. The Research Call process for environmental proposals is competitive and we expect to be assessing many high-quality submissions from the research community.
“We are particularly pleased this year to be including an Open Call to encourage the submission of innovative research proposals to support and inform national environmental policies and challenges. We have leveraged a high level of co-funding from other Departments and Agencies and welcome this opportunity to strengthen our collaboration with other organisations in addressing key environmental challenges.”
The EPA has been funding research in Ireland since 1994 and is currently funding more than 200 on-going research projects.
Further details about the 2018 EPA Research Calls are available on the EPA website.