Teagasc has announced an expansion of its food research programme following the release of extra funding from the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development.
Mr Walsh provided an additional £20.8 million under the Food Institutional Research Measure, which is funded by the National Development Plan. Teagasc will receive £7.5 million of this, with another £7 million for University College Cork, about £3 million for University College Dublin and the remainder for NUI Galway, Trinity College and the University of Limerick.
This funding comes on top of the £25 million given to Teagasc last year to pursue research, particularly in the food biotechnology area. None of that funding was spent last year, but £9.8 million was allocated for use during 2001, a spokesman for Teagasc said.
The new funding is available for use through 2003, according to the spokesman. "The key focus is on new food products and food safety," he said.
Details of how the extra funding would be spent was announced yesterday by the director of Teagasc, Dr Liam Downey. Scientists are being recruited by Teagasc to work on the expanded programme, he said.
