The new strategic research and innovation agenda, ‘Sustainable, Healthy Agri-food Research Plan (SHARP)’ for the ‘Sustainable Food Production and Processing’ and ‘Food for Health’ was launched today by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Simon Coveney.

Speaking at the launch Minister Coveney said he welcomes the fact that this new research and innovation strategy is built around three guiding principles – competitiveness, sustainability and citizen/consumer orientation.

“This recognises the need to maintain a strong collective focus on the production and processing of safe, high-quality, nutritious food in an efficient, competitive, and sustainable manner that benefits everyone from farm to fork,” he said.

The Minister also commended the relevant funders for including an Implementation Framework whereby they commit to adopting a structured approach to future funding decisions so as to achieve a well coordinated, complementary and efficient use of public funds.

The Plan is the result of an intensive exercise drawing on the collective wisdom of relevant Government Departments, funding bodies, the research community, all parts of the industry and the broader society.

It identifies a clear set of research priorities that will act as a blueprint to guide the funding decisions of all departments and agencies operating publicly funded research programmes over the next few years.

SHARP contains 179 research and investment ideas grouped into 8 thematic and 1 cross-cutting pillars spanning the full food chain from sustainable primary production through processing and product development activities to research on human nutrition to support improved population health.