Increased Funding For Cutting Edge Marine Research In Ireland

5th May 2017

Marine Institute chair Dr John Killeen with Marine Minister Michael Creed and Marine Institute chief executive Dr Peter Heffernan launching the Marine Equipment and Small Infrastructure Call for 2017 Credit: Jason Clarke

#MarineResearch - The Marine Institute has announced a €2m Marine Infrastructure Call for 2017 with awards of between €20,000 and €200,000.

Applications are invited from legal entities (higher education institutes, public research institutes, small-medium enterprises, etc) on the island of Ireland with the appropriate scientific and technical qualifications and research expertise.

Marine Minister Michael Creed launched the initiative earlier this week at the Marine Institute’s Dublin office, where he also met some of the researchers successful in winning research funding through last year’s call: such as the national ship-time programme, the National Biodiscovery Laboratory, and research on ocean acidification.

“The range of projects funded by the Marine Institute through the Marine Research measure shows that Ireland’s marine researchers are carrying out cutting edge research to tackle national and global societal challenges,” he said.

“This funding builds on the national research capacity established through previous initiatives such as the Sea Change Strategy. It is helping to deliver on ‘Ireland’s Integrated Marine Plan – Harnessing Our Ocean Wealth’ by investing in researchers and organisations that are developing expertise and networks to address national policy objectives.”

Minister Creed added: “With our strategic location on the edge of the Atlantic, we are investing in key projects at the cutting edge of ocean research. During 2016, I am delighted that €10.7 million was awarded by the Marine Institute through the Marine Research Measure. This was a significant increase in the level of investment in marine research in recent years.

“The investment reflects both the opportunities the ocean presents as well as the huge responsibility we have to understand and protect the ocean, which we know is a key life support system for our planet. The funding supports a total of 32 research positions, including 20 marine research jobs announced in January by An Taoiseach Enda Kenny.”

All information on the call – including Guidelines for Applicants and Terms of Reference – can be found on the Marine Institute website HERE.

The application closing date is Thursday 15 June. Any queries or clarifications should be submitted by email to [email protected]

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MacDara Conroy

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MacDara Conroy is a contributor covering all things on the water, from boating and wildlife to science and business

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