A €20m research call, from which successful projects can claim up to €3m, has been announced by the Department of Agriculture.

A research call, which will award over €20m in funding for pioneering research in areas such as climate mitigation and adaptation, sustainable farming, animal health and welfare and agri digitalisation, has been launched by the Department.

Among the objectives of the research call are building research capacity, expertise and reputation, addressing research capability gaps, providing opportunities for early-stage researchers, and developing insights, innovation and technologies to advance the sustainable development of the agriculture, food, forest and bio economy sector.

Projects can be funded up to a maximum of €3m and a maximum of five years.

As part of the on-going north-south co-operation on agri-food research and innovation, the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, Northern Ireland, is collaborating on this research call by providing funding to enable eligible research performing organisations in Northern Ireland to collaborate on projects with partners in Ireland.

Future-proof

Announcing the call, Minister of State with responsibility for research Martin Heydon said: “If we want to future-proof our primary producers and agri-food sector, we need to continue investing heavily in cutting-edge research.

“This call will build on the very significant investments made by this Department last year, including €9.6m for 12 projects under the last thematic research call in 2021, €3.6m for four projects under the Ireland-New Zealand agriculture and climate research partnership, and the €4.5m for 19 projects under the policy and strategic studies research call.

“The work funded under these calls is essential to equip farmers, foresters and the wider agri-food sector with the tools needed to improve their economic, environmental and social sustainability in the years ahead,” Minister Heydon said.