EPA facilitation assists Irish researchers in securing €7 million in EU funding for Environmental Research

The EPA will host its 2016 National Horizon 2020 Societal Challenge 5 Information Day on 7 October, in the Croke Park Conference Centre, Dublin. The purpose of this event is to advise and support Irish researchers in internationalising their research and in forming new research partnerships, so that they can compete successfully for EU research funds under Horizon 2020.

Irish environmental researchers have secured over €7 million in funding for environmental research during the first two years of Europe’s flagship research programme, Horizon 2020. The EPA actively promotes, encourages and facilitates the successful participation of Irish researchers in Horizon 2020, in partnership with Enterprise Ireland and the Horizon 2020 National Support Network.

Ms Laura Burke, Director General EPA, said:

“Our environment knows no boundaries and transnational cooperation, such as that promoted by theHorizon 2020 programme, is essential if we are to address the key societal challenges facing us today.   Through successive national environmental research programmes, over the past twenty years, we have a pool of environmental and other researchers in Ireland that are successfully competing with the best in Europe to come up with innovative ways of addressing these challenges.”

She added:

“The EPA will continue to support and provide specialist expertise to Irish researchers to help them leverage further research funding from the EU to collaborate with EU researchers to undertake valuable projects tackling urgent environmental issues such as Water and Climate.”

Speaking about the information day, Dr. Alice Wemaere EPA, SC5 National Contact Point said:

“The event will place a strong emphasis on networking between national and European researchers from academia and industry. It will showcase Irish research projects that have successfully leveraged EU-funding to-date. In addition, key experts from the European Commission and various industrial and academic institutions will highlight key knowledge gaps and emerging issues across various environmental areas, such as Climate Change, Water and Resource Efficiency”.

Further details on the information day are available on the EPA website.

Some highlights from Irish participation in the Horizon 2020programme:

• Irish researchers are involved in 17 projects under the Societal Challenge 5 which addresses climate action, environment, resource efficiency and raw materials.
• Seven projects co-ordinated by Irish researchers, including four SME-led projects.
• An €8 million project led by University College Dublin, involving a consortium of 26 partners from the European Union, China and Hong Kong, looking at the potential to generate high-value products from agri-food wastes.
• A €6 million project led by Trinity College Dublin investigating the use of smart technology to improve air quality in European cities.
• A €3.5 million project-led by the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland looking to design, develop, pilot and field-test a range of sustainable point-of-use solar disinfection technologies that will provide affordable access to safe water for remote and vulnerable communities in Africa and elsewhere.

The table below provides a list of the successful projects/proposals for the Horizon 2020 SC5 2014/2015 call.