EPA Announces Funding Of €6.5m For New Research.

EPA announces funding of €6.5m for new research to address climate and environmental policy needs.

EPA announces funding of €6.5 million for 24 new research projects in the areas of:

• climate change,
• the natural environment,
• the green & circular economy and
• the environment & human health.

• The funding will address emerging research needs of policy makers in Ireland and respond to identified knowledge gaps for policy development and implementation.
• In terms of building research capacity, the funding will support 148 research staff across 10 Higher Education Institutions and will have a wide reach through 34 collaborating organisations across the public and private sectors in three different countries.
• Reflecting the cross-sectoral nature of environmental and climate policy, the EPA is working in partnership with Met Éireann and the Office of Public Works to co-fund a number of the research projects.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced new funding for environmental and climate research in Ireland, with funding of €6.5 million awarded for 24 new research projects. As well as addressing key knowledge gaps, these innovative projects will support the development of vital research capacity and expertise in strategically important areas.

Research plays a critical role in informing robust policy and decision-making as set out in Ireland’s Research and Innovation Strategy, Impact 2030. The EPA Research Programme has an established focus on policy-relevant research addressing identified knowledge gaps relevant to environmental and climate policy. The outcomes of the EPA Research Call 2025 will contribute to the evidence base for environmental policy in Ireland, strengthen connections between the research and policy communities and deliver positive environmental outcomes.

Projects that will receive EPA funding this year include topics such as:

• Assessing impacts of national policies on climate targets
• Use of technology in peatland monitoring
• Impacts of dams and barriers on rivers and lakes
• Streamlining Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) through the use of AI
• Greening of laboratory analysis protocols and
• Greater understanding of sources and sinks of methane

Announcing the funding awards, Dr Eimear Cotter, (EPA Deputy Director General) said: “We face complex challenges in becoming a resilient, competitive and sustainable society. Research, such as that funded through the EPA Research Call, will play a vital role in supporting robust policy- and decision-making while ensuring the protection of our environment and climate. The projects announced today will support targeted, policy‑relevant research and build connections with policy-makers and practitioners, and ultimately support more effective action. I congratulate the successful teams and look forward to seeing the positive impacts of their work.”

The latest EPA funding is significant in terms of further building environmental research capacity in Ireland. It will support 148 research staff across 10 Higher Education Institutions and will have a wider reach through 34 collaborating organisations across the public and private sectors in three different countries. University of Galway received the highest number of successful research awards in 2025.

Commenting on the announcement, Mr Aengus Parsons, (Vice-President for Research and Innovation (Acting) at University of Galway), said: “Our researchers are to be commended for their vision and dedication to addressing the urgent environmental challenges of our times. We thank the Environmental Protection Agency for this support, which strengthens our commitment to research and innovation around sustainable and resilient environments. I look forward to seeing these projects progress to impacts across climate policy, coastal risk, air quality, emissions reduction, peatland resilience, the bioeconomy, and water quality.”

Reflecting the importance of collaboration in addressing climate and environmental challenges, the EPA is working in partnership with Met Éireann and the Office of Public Works to co-fund a number of projects in areas including flood probability, flow statistics for our rivers and climate modelling.

The list of funded projects made under the EPA Research Call 2025 is available on the EPA website. The EPA Research Programme is a Government of Ireland initiative funded by the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications. Details of the EPA Research Call 2026 will be made available on the EPA website.