- Investment will facilitate unprecedented collaboration
between academia, industry and policy-makers across the Irish
Government, UK Government and Northern Ireland Executive over the
next six years
- Comes as UK Science and Technology Secretary visits Dublin, meeting
Republic of Ireland Minister for Further and Higher Education,
Research, Innovation and Science, Simon Harris, and Northern
Irish officials
£60 million in joint funding has been announced today (Tuesday 28
November) to bring academics, industry and policymakers across
the Irish Government, UK Government and Northern Ireland
Executive closer together than ever before, to work together on
food sustainability and tackling climate change.
The Co-Centres programme will see researchers from across Ireland
and the UK work together, to bring the power of science and
innovation to bear on work ranging from protecting precious
supplies of clean water, to ensuring that we can feed a growing
global population at the same time as reaching Net Zero goals.
The announcement was jointly made in Dublin by the Irish
Government’s Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research,
Innovation and Science, Simon Harris, UK Government Secretary of
State for Science, Innovation and Technology, , and Permanent Secretary
at Northern Ireland’s Department of Agriculture, Environment and
Rural Affairs, Katrina Godfrey.
UK Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and
Technology said:
“As I know from my own family links, the UK and Ireland
share deep ties – and in today’s fast-moving world, we share many
of the same challenges, too. From our groundbreaking
international work on AI, to our deal to join Horizon, the
UK is determined to seize the opportunities for growth and
prosperity that can be delivered, when we work together on
science and tech with our neighbours.
“By bringing together the genius that exists across our islands,
we will unlock the new ideas and inventions that will help us
secure our food chains and tackle climate change, delivering
innovative solutions for global good.”
Minister Harris said:
“Addressing climate change and achieving sustainable and
resilient food systems are intertwined challenges facing us all.
“This investment in two new collaborative research centres is a
major development in addressing these pressing issues in a
coordinated and concerted way.
“I’m delighted to see the very best minds and methods being
brought together to create a dynamic research network
across Ireland, Northern Ireland and Great Britain.”
Katrina Godfrey said:
“The Co-Centres programme is an excellent example of Government
funders working in partnership to support researchers and
industry who will undertake cutting-edge research in areas of
mutual economic, societal, health and environmental importance.
“I am particularly pleased that researchers in Northern Ireland
will be integral to the establishment of these Co-centres.”
The Co-Centres programme is funded over six years, with up to €40
million from Science Foundation Ireland (SFI), up to £17 million
from Northern Ireland’s Department of Agriculture, Environment
and Rural Affairs (DAERA) and up to £12 million through UK
Research and Innovation (UKRI), and is co-funded by industry.
The two new Co-Centres will formally commence activities on 1st
January 2024, and will be funded to 2030.
Overview of Co-CentresCo-Centre for
Climate + Biodiversity and Water:
- Vision: To be a home of research, innovation, and policy
development across the interlinked challenges of climate change,
biodiversity loss, and water degradation. This will be achieved
through research to enable fair transformations to Net Zero,
reverse biodiversity loss, restore water quality and ensure
resilience for communities and a sustainable economy.
- Number of research performing organisations: 14
- Number of researchers: 64
- Leadership Team: Prof. Yvonne Buckley, Trinity College
Dublin, Prof. Mark Emmerson, Queens University Belfast; Prof.
Edward Hawkins, University of Reading
Co-Centre for Sustainable and Resilient Food
Systems:
- Vision: To develop innovative and transformative solutions to
transition the food system for positive and sustainable change in
the transition to climate-neutrality by 2050. In order to address
specific challenges centred around food system integrity and
resilience, food safety and healthy diets from sustainable
sources, the Co-Centre proposes to undertake a research programme
across 4 platforms – Sustainable Food, Food Safety and Integrity,
Nutrition and Health, and Food Systems Data Modelling. End-to-end
solutions from soil-to-society will be developed and showcased.
- Number of research performing organisations: 15
- Number of funded researchers: 68
- Leadership team: Prof. Eileen Gibney, University College
Dublin; Prof. Aedin Cassidy, Queen’s University Belfast; Prof.
Louise Dye, University of Sheffield
