Research awards of over €800,000 have been announced by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon and Minister of State with special responsibility for research, Noel Grealish have announced the co-funding towards two bioeconomy projects under the international strand of the department’s research programme.

The announcement coincides with Bioeconomy Ireland Week 2026.

Dairy processing

Funding is being awarded to Irish researchers in two projects aimed at accelerating the transition to a sustainable bio-based economy.

The project 'ACE-BIO' aims to accelerate a sustainable, circular bioeconomy by converting underutilised dairy processing side streams and grasses into a high-value bio-based chemical.

These are then used as a sustainable alternative to fossil-derived chemicals in industrial applications.

This project has been awarded €315,244.

The second project 'MaMaCas' will explore innovative ways to turn marine waste from fisheries into valuable products for a range of issues, including in the aquaculture sector.

This project has been awarded €496,220.

Bioeconomy research

Making the announcement, Minister Heydon said: “I am delighted to announce that my department is awarding over €800,000 to two new bioeconomy research projects involving researchers from University College Dublin and Atlantic Technological University.

"These awards will support implementation of Ireland’s new National Bioeconomy Strategy 2026–2030 by advancing research into higher-value uses of agricultural and marine resources and strengthening international research collaboration." Minister Grealish added: “As Ireland hosts the Global Bioeconomy Summit in Dublin and celebrates Bioeconomy Ireland Week 2026, I am delighted to announce support for these two new innovative projects.

"They reflect the ambition at the heart of Ireland’s bioeconomy, to make better use of our bioresources and create sustainable solutions to environmental challenges.

"They also demonstrate the value of international collaboration in developing and delivering innovative approaches to the production and utilisation of biomass."