Research into sustainability to benefit from €2m fund, EPA announces

Almost €2 million will be made available to Irish researchers to study innovative ways to sustain the environment, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has said.

The research is to address pressures on Ireland’s environment and suggest solutions on more efficient uses of resources.

Laura Burke, director general of the EPA, said the 10 projects across Ireland would support research in important areas including waste, invasive species and biomethane production.

“The outputs from many of these projects will provide the foundation and evidence base for credible environmental decision-making,” she said.

Brian Donlon, research manager for the EPA, said all the research projects, which will be complete in 12-18 months, were important for Ireland to comply with the protocols and regulations agreed with the EU and United Nations.

The University of Limerick will lead a project on recovering valuable metals from industrial waste. University College Dublin is leading a project on invasive species.

Trinity College Dublin is assessing pollination services and University College Cork will focus on incentives to promote biomethane production using anaerobic digestion.