The Sustainable Energy Authority Ireland (SEAI) today announced a new round of government funding for energy research and innovation.

The call will support innovative energy Research Development and Demonstration (RD&D) projects which will help accelerate Ireland's transition to a clean and secure energy future.

Government support comes, in the form of an increased budget and the SEAI expects to invest almost €20 million, in what is now a multi-year pipeline of energy RD&D projects. The deadline for applications for the call is Thursday, June 13, 2024.

Drive solutions

More than 240 projects were successful under previous funding calls since 2018 to drive solutions in the areas of wind energy, bioenergy, energy systems integration, energy efficiency, energy markets, smart grids, transportation, energy policy, community engagement and geothermal energy.

Environment minister Eamon Ryan TD said: “New technologies, approaches and solutions are urgently required to help us develop a sustainable, secure and affordable energy system, to transition to a clean energy future. Research and innovation are vital to accelerating Ireland's decarbonisation pathway with the delivery of more effective technological solutions.”

Margie McCarthy, director of research and policy Insights at SEAI said: “Transforming energy research using collaborative approaches is paramount to Ireland’s Energy Revolution. We need to act now if we are to meet our 2030 and 2050 climate targets set out by government, and SEAI is committed to finding solutions to get there, by removing barriers, enhancing capacity, and overcoming challenges through this RD&D funding.

"We need new technologies, new approaches and behavioural change and we are calling on the Irish Energy Research community to find new ways to enhance energy management and efficiency and reduce fossil fuel usage for the benefit of our country now and for years to come.”

Climate ambitions

Recognising that accelerating transformative research to deliver Ireland’s clean energy and climate ambitions will require enhanced collaboration across a wide range of stakeholders.

The 2024 call is open for applications from all research disciplines, and from public and private sector organisations, either applying individually or as part of a consortium

SEAI has said that the 2024 call will involve co-funding partnerships with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Geological Survey Ireland, the Marine Institute and the National Parks and Wildlife Service.

As before, this year’s call will include both an open strand and a thematic strand, it said. The thematic strand includes research topics co-developed by SEAI in consultation with a range of government departments and agencies, whereas the open strand welcomes applicants to pitch proposals that they feel could achieve the overall programme objectives in support of Ireland’s clean energy transition.

There are 20 topics in the thematic strand, with research themes including decarbonised heat and electricity, energy efficiency in traditional buildings, offshore wind, bioenergy, critical raw materials, behavioural change, energy storage and sustainable energy communities among others. 

Further information is available on the SEAI National Energy RD&D Funding Programme webpage.