Ministers O’Donovan, McConalogue and Heydon announce €104 million investment for science research
Targeted funding will support over 600 highly-skilled research positions in the bioeconomy, agrifood, neurological disease and advanced manufacturing, over the next six years
Tuesday, May 14th 2024: A €104 million investment in scientific research across Ireland is being announced today by Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Patrick O’Donovan TD, and Minister for Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue TD.
The funding is being allocated to four SFI Research Centres: BiOrbic Bioeconomy SFI Research Centre; FutureNeuro SFI Research Centre for Neurological Diseases; I-Form SFI Research Centre for Advanced Manufacturing; and VistaMilk SFI Research Centre. An additional €21 million has been committed by these Centres’ industry partners.
Commenting on the announcement, Minister O’Donovan said: “The bioeconomy, agrifood, and manufacturing are each critically important to how we function as individuals and how we develop our economy. While significant scientific advances have been made in these areas by Ireland’s research ecosystem, we need to remain vigilant in addressing challenges old and new, and turning these opportunities into real world impacts that people can see and feel”.
He added: “Today’s investment is as a result of close collaboration between individual researchers, research teams, research institutions, industry and government departments. I warmly welcome this multilayered partnership approach, and wish, in particular, to thank industry for their integral role.”
Minister McConalogue stated: “My Department is proud to commit over €8.7 million in co-funding to the SFI Research Centre programme. Supporting VistaMilk SFI Research Centre over the next six years will help drive development and deployment of digital technology to improve the sustainability and competitiveness of dairy production and processing in Ireland. This progress will help to secure a sustainable food system that delivers safe and nutritious dairy products, positively impacts the environment and safeguards viable livelihoods for primary producers and rural communities.”
Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine with special responsibility for Research and Development, Martin Heydon TD, commented:
“I warmly welcome the announcement today of Phase 2 funding for the VistaMilk SFI Research Centre for Digitalising Dairy Production and Processing. The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine has co-funded this Centre since it first began in 2018. It has a strong focus on soil, pasture, animal and food research and this announcement will allow this collaboration to continue in Phase 2 and I look forward to seeing the outputs of the research over the coming six years.”
Welcoming the announcement, Deputy Director General of SFI, Dr Ciarán Seoighe said: “The continued investment for these four SFI Research Centres follows a rigorous and extensive expert international peer review process of scientific excellence and strategic impact of each Centre. The four Centres represent a national research network of 17 host and partner institutions that, to date, has collaborated with over 130 industry partners ranging from SMEs to multinationals, across all regions and in a variety of sectors. Research Centres play a vital role in developing and nurturing the next generation of research leaders and innovators, and today’s funding awards will support over 600 researchers at senior researcher (PIs), post-doctoral, PhD and MSc levels.”