DAERA announces £362,635 for two new agri-food research projects
Date published:
The Department of Agriculture Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) has announced that two research institutions in Northern Ireland, AFBI and Ulster University are to benefit from £362,635 of new funding awarded through the DAERA/DAFM 2017 Competitive Research Call.
The awards are provided through the ‘Research and Development Partnership’ between DAERA and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM).
The collaboration between the two jurisdictions identifies opportunities to co-fund research in areas of shared strategic priority.
The two successful projects are as follows:
- Future Proofing Irish Livestock Sustainability-(SmartSward) – the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI) in partnership with University College Dublin (UCD) and Massey University New Zealand.
- Extraction and exploitation of bioactive fish components for health enhancement- (Mara Bioactive) - the Ulster University (UU) in partnership with University College Cork (UCC), University of Limerick (UL), Galway Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT).
Making the announcement DAERA Deputy Chief Scientific Adviser Dr.Paul Devine said: “Addressing common issues with a collaborative approach has many benefits including the leverage of additional research capacity and expertise to meet the needs of the local agri-food sector.
“The department recognises that science has a vital role in providing our farmers and agri-food industry with a competitive edge in highly demanding markets. By addressing transnational issues affecting the sustainability of the agri-food sector in NI and ROI creates many overarching benefits.
“This funding to local scientists, technologists and advisers will play an essential part in assisting NI farmers who face the challenges of increasingly competitive agri-food and forestry sectors. Sharing both knowledge and resources through collaboration enhances both the quality of research, and the value derived from DAERA funding.”
NI research institutions can apply with collaborative partners for funding. More information about the funding award is available on the DAFM website.
Notes to editors:
- This is the second year of the DAFM/DAERA collaboration. There were eight successful collaborative projects by AFBI, QUB & UU in the 2015 Competitive Research Call to the value of £1,912,730.48.
- DAERA is currently on target to meet our objective of 11 new research projects contracting at least 11 new postdoctoral scientist based in NI research organisations by December 2018.
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