In July 2024, Minister Martin Heydon TD, Minister of State with special responsibility for Research and Development at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM), announced funding of €22.3 million for 21 new research projects.
SETU researchers Dr Imelda Casey and Mr Kieran Sullivan have been awarded over €400,000 in funding under the call, which aims to support innovative research across various agricultural domains.
Announcing the funding at an event held in Farmleigh House, Minister Martin Heydon TD stated, “Today I am announcing €22.3 million in grant aid for 21 new research projects arising from my department’s 2023 Thematic Research Call. This will see research work being conducted across a wide range of areas including low emissions dairy production, carbon sequestration in agricultural soils, developing farmland nature credits, optimising oat production and processing for healthy foods, assessing the impact of deer in forestry, advancing the Irish wool sector, sustainable packaging materials, and improving shelf life of dairy products, among others.”
Dr Imelda Casey
Dr Imelda Casey, from SETU's Department of Land Sciences, is part of a project entitled ‘Zero Zero; Low-emissions dairy production without fertiliser N or herbicides’. This project, led by James Humphreys of Teagasc in collaboration with SETU and the University of Galway, has been allocated €184,160. The project aims to extend the findings of the DaFM LOCAM project onto farms, to develop a low-emissions blueprint for fragmented dairy farms, seeking to enhance sustainability within the dairy industry by reducing dependency on synthetic fertilisers and herbicides. Dr Casey is pictured here with Prof Veronica Campbell, SETU President in September 2023, when she won the SETU Research Excellence award in the "Research Impact Award- policy and practice" category.
Kieran Sullivan, Walton Institute
Mr Kieran Sullivan, from the Walton Institute at SETU, is part of the AgNav project team. This collaborative effort is led by Teagasc and involves SETU, Bord Bia, the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF) and is focused on creating a farmer-centric sustainability support framework. Led by Dr Indrakshi Dey, the Walton Institute will receive €225,723 to develop a disruptive framework for data analysis, interoperability and resilient data spaces to help the agricultural sector meet Climate Action Plan targets.
The project team, which also includes Walton Institute colleague Christine O'Meara, will develop a toolkit of tailored farm sustainability support and solutions for Irish farmers.
Speaking about the funding announcement, Dr Geraldine Canny, SETU Head of Research said, “I wish to congratulate Dr Imelda Casey, Mr Kieran Sullivan, Dr Indrakshi Dey, and their project partners on this significant funding award. I'm excited to witness the transformative impact these projects will have on the agricultural sector. Sustainability in agriculture is a pressing issue, and these pioneering initiatives are crucial in advancing agricultural practices, particularly in climate mitigation, adaptation, and sustainable farming.”
