Funds totalling €4m have been allocated to the Walsh Scholarship programme of postgraduate student research, Teagasc has announced.

The funding will see research projects undertaken by 40 postgraduate students in areas of significance to the Irish agri-food sector, with a €24,000 per year tax-free bursary awarded to each successful applicant over the period of their research.

“Today’s announcement represents a major investment of €4m by Teagasc in training the next generation of leaders for the agri-food industry,” stated the head of research development and Walsh scholarships at Teagasc, Jane Kavanagh.

“The scholarships provide students with a fantastic opportunity to develop their research and transferrable skills, while being immersed in a world-leading research environment.

“All the scholars join a team of leading scientists with a strong track record in their particular area and they have access to state-of-the-art research infrastructure at Teagasc research centres,” Kavanagh said.

The funding will see research projects undertaken by 40 postgraduate students

Research competition

A Walsh scholar of the year competition and award ceremony will take place virtually on Friday 9 July, in recognition of the research completed by the scholars.

“Communicating science and the impact of research is critically important for transferring knowledge to relevant stakeholders and the general public,” Professor Frank O’Mara, director of research at Teagasc, stated.

“At Teagasc we place a strong emphasis on developing the Walsh scholars’ science communication skills, providing them with targeted training, culminating in the annual competition,” he continued.

There are also travel award opportunities for Walsh scholars, which provide additional financial support for researchers to spend up to three months at research institutes or universities in Europe as part of their studies.

Research topics

Areas of research to be examined by the scholarship programme of topical relevance to Irish agriculture include:

  • Predicting the carbon sequestration of soils.
  • Assessing integrated pest management on Irish grassland farms.
  • Investigating the quality of irrigation water in horticulture.
  • Nutrient loss in poorly drained soils.
  • The authentication of Irish whiskey.