The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) in Northern Ireland has awarded £2 million in funding to four suppliers to progress to phase two of the Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI).

This is aimed at tackling the growth of blue-green algae in Lough Neagh and other affected waterbodies.

Phase two, launched on August 18, takes forward the work of the five suppliers selected via open competition during phase one.

During phase two, suppliers will be required to:

Demonstrate the effective treatment of harmful algal bloom (HAB) scums;
Show measurable reduction or suppression of excessive HAB growth;
Prove that their solutions can operate at scale;
Ensure that their interventions do not contribute to further environmental degradation or negatively impact the wider ecosystem or drinking water quality in Lough Neagh and its catchment.

Following an inception meeting with the four successful suppliers, DAERA Minister Andrew Muir commented: “Phase one has delivered encouraging results; further research and development is however essential to validate these models at scale and ensure their commercial viability.

“The environmental challenges facing Lough Neagh cannot be resolved by any single organisation or sector.

“Whilst this further research is taking place, I am committed to taking forward the Lough Neagh Action Plan at pace.

"Restoring the lough and improving water quality across Northern Ireland requires sustained effort and investment."

Suppliers selected for phase two are: Queen’s University Belfast; Wholeschool Software Ltd and Biild.ai; Varicon Aqua Solutions Ltd; and Clear Water Systems Ltd.

Phase two is expected to run until March 2027.