EUR 20 million for Irish marine researchers
The Irish government has awarded grants of EUR 20 million to new marine research projects. As the Irish Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources announced, the Beaufort Award, named after Irish hydrographer Francis Beaufort, will fund 141 researchers and students working in five research consortia. The main portion of the money, a little over €7 million, will go to a project studying the use of marine organisms and materials for the production of drugs, advanced biomaterials and neutraceuticals. Research groups from the University College Cork (UCC), the National University of Ireland Galway (NUIG) and the Queen's University Belfast (QUB) will be involved in the Beaufort Marine Biodiscovery Consortium, which is to head the research programme. Four more projects will receive funding. Two of those will be dedicated to various aspects of fisheries research and sustainable fisheries management. Another programme will attempt to assess the economic, social and environmental value of marine resources. Finally, the National Centre for Sensor Research at Dublin City University will focus on the development of systems to meet the monitoring requirements of legislation, such as the EU Water Framework Directive. Presenting the award, Eamon Ryan, Irish Minister for Communication, Energy and Natural Resources, said it was a well-known fact that there were many marine-related challenges facing society. 'The award winners will be tasked with providing us with the evidence to act,' he added, expressing hope that the research 'will allow us to utilise our marine resources in ecologically sound and innovative ways'. Peter Heffernan, CEO of the Marine Institute in Galway, said the Beaufort award was a quantum leap towards advancing Ireland's marine sector: 'The funding will send a clear signal to the rest of the world that Ireland is now poised to be a major player in this area.' Dublin also announced that it is planning to award a marine research prize next year in the framework of the Beaufort initiative. The prize will be given to a scientist, Irish or international, who is active in research collaboration with Ireland. The Beaufort Marine Research Award is part of Ireland's ongoing national research and innovation strategy 'Sea Change'. Under this strategy, the Irish government is investing more than €365 million to develop commercial opportunities for the country in areas such as sustainable energy, transport, technology and environmental monitoring, and to strengthen Ireland's marine sector over the next seven years. //CPA For further information, please visit: http://www.dcmnr.gov.ie/(opens in new window) http://www.marine.ie/(opens in new window)
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Ireland