Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine Martin Heydon has announced funding of €2 million for new European research partnerships centred on agroecology and animal health and welfare.
The funding is part of the Horizon Europe Research Programme, and the new research partnership will include several individual partnerships which the department said will see agriculture, forestry and rural areas benefit from increased research and innovation funding.
According to the department, the partnerships enable greater cooperation to address national and European priorities through the pooling of expertise and resources, as well as harnessing additional private and public research investments.
A research call is now open to applications from eligible Irish research performing organisations as part of international research consortia.
Participation, in line with funding regulations, from non-profit organisations; consumers and citizens; civil society representatives; and private companies is also encouraged.
This is the first research call supported by the department under Horizon Europe’s European Partnership Programme.
The call announcement comes in conjunction with the formal launch event of the Partnerships for Agroecology and Animal Health and Welfare that took place in Brussels this month.
This initial research partnership is titled ‘Fostering agroecology at farm and landscape level’.
Commenting on the research call, Minister Heydon – who is the minister of state responsible for research and development in the department – said: ““Ensuring the sustainability of agricultural systems, economically, environmentally, and socially, is a critical issue.
“I see research that involves farmers as vital for the development of new solutions and technologies to support sustainable production systems on farm,” he added.
“The launch of these Horizon Europe Partnerships represents a crucial milestone in our effort to build a more sustainable, resilient, and competitive agricultural sector in Europe,” Minister Heydon commented.
“By pooling our resources, expertise, and knowledge, we can address the complex challenges facing agriculture more effectively and pave the way for a more prosperous future.
Detailed information on the call scope, application guidelines, eligibility criteria and available funding are provided through the department’s research portal.