The government has announced €10 million in funding under the EU Just Transition Fund (EUJTF) for two new bioeconomy demonstration initiatives.

The projects will result in development of innovation hubs to create new products as an alternative to fossil-based production in both Co. Tipperary and Co. Offaly.

The awards arise from the first of two EUJTF calls for bioeconomy demonstration initiatives, administered by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, and co-funded by the government and the EU.

Funding of €5 million is being awarded to the Lisheen Bioeconomy Scaleup Initiative (BioScaleUp) in Co. Tipperary.

Led by Tipperary County Council, this project will demonstrate six innovative technologies at the national pilot biorefinery facility at the National Bioeconomy Campus.

The initiative will see collaboration between universities, the Irish Bioeconomy Foundation, and dairy and forestry bioprocessing industries. It will include scaling up and demonstrating the conversion of dairy-side streams, food waste and wood processing wastewater into biobased chemicals, materials and other valuable biobased products and services.

These could eventually be used as food ingredients or as biobased ingredients in the cosmetic and pharmaceutical sectors, displacing fossil-based ingredients.

A further €5 million is being awarded to the Mount Lucas Circular Bioeconomy Aquaculture Initiative (Circular IMTA), which is led by the Technological University of Shannon (TUS).

It will demonstrate the production of new feeds and food ingredients from cultivated-duckweed and macroalgae at scale, using agri-food waste streams produced at a circular peatland integrated aquaculture site at Mount Lucas in Co. Offaly.

Both projects will also include significant training and upskilling opportunities in both facilities across a range of scientific, technical, and engineering, facilitation, business and finance areas related to biorefinery and biomanufacturing.

Commenting on the two newly funded initiatives, Minister McConalogue said: “The bioeconomy has the potential to improve the environmental, economic, and social sustainability of the agri-food sector through offering diversification opportunities…and reducing the use of non-sustainable inputs in all economic sectors including in the agri-food sector.

Minister of State for new market development, farm safety, and research and development Martin Heydon said: “There are huge opportunities across the bioeconomy. Scaling-up and demonstrating technologies used to process, extract and refine valuable materials from biobased resources is central to developing the Irish bioeconomy.

“The two projects funded today will set this in motion, providing industry with pilot plant facilities that can help them to de-risk investment decisions and stimulate innovation in biorefining and biomanufacturing.”

Commenting on the funding for the Lisheen site, Fianna Fáil Tipperary TD Jackie Cahill said: “I am delighted to welcome further funding for Lisheen today… In the lifetime of this government, we have over €20 million being invested in Lisheen, by both the government and private sector.

“Minister for Finance Jack Chambers recently visited the Lisheen site with me, and I impressed upon him the need for further government supports for the site ensure that we successfully turn it into a centre of excellence for the bioeconomy and circular economy,” Cahill added.

“It has been my determined ambition to bring rural employment back to Lisheen, Littleton and surrounding areas during the lifetime of this government. I am delighted to see that hard work paying off. I anticipate further positive announcements for Lisheen in the future, but today’s news is another great boost for the area,” the TD said.