Irish government releases EUR 40 million for public sector research
Four government departments involved in performing and funding public sector research in a range of fields are to receive EUR40 million for scientific research, the Irish Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Micheál Martin has announced. The competitive €40 million fund for sectoral research is part of the €8.2 billion allocated to Minister Martin's department in the framework of the National Development Plan. Following submissions from the government departments, the fund will be distributed to the Department of Agriculture and Food, the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, the Department of Environment and Local Government and the Department of Health. 'This innovative Fund exemplifies the whole of government approach that we are bringing to this key policy area of Science, Technology and Innovation (STI),' the Minister said. 'It is important that we keep our competitive edge, and having a properly funded Science, Technology and Innovation strategy is key.' The new funding will be used to support projects in fields such as agriculture, food, health, marine, energy and the environment. In most cases the government funding will be complemented by resources from other stakeholders such as industry, the European Union and other international organisations. One of the projects slated for funding concerns the development of marine functional foods. The initiative will bring together scientists from many disciplines to look into the issues such as the extraction of high quality fish oils with medicinal properties. Another project will investigate the use of biological and physical markers to provide early warning of changes to the Gulf Stream. Also in the marine field, an initiative on integrated marine exploration will develop a pool of trained personnel with skills in the core disciplines of oceanography, marine geology, biology and chemistry who are able to exploit the information gathered on surveys. For its part, the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government will run three projects, focusing on climate change, trans-boundary air pollution and an Irish contribution to the EU's Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) initiative. The Departments of Health and Agriculture and Food will work together to support, among other topics, research into consumer behaviour, obesity, food safety and nutritional health in the elderly. The Department of Agriculture and Food will also fund research into sustainable agricultural and forestry practices and bio-energy production.
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Ireland