The EPA Research Call 2025 is now open for applications with €6.6M in research funding available support innovative research projects to support policy- and decision-making addressing environmental, climate change and sustainability challenges. The EPA are delighted that Met Éireann, the Office of Public Works, and the National Parks and Wildlife Service are participating as co-funders on this call.
Overview
The EPA Research Call 2025 invites applications under 29 topics addressing identified policy and evidence needs with projects ranging in duration from 12 to 48 months. A list of these topics is provided below and detailed information is available in the call documentation.
Key dates for the call are:
Call open for applications: 3 April 2025
Information Webinar: 9 April 2025, 10 a.m.
Technical Query deadline: 22 May 2025
Applicant submission deadline: 29 May 2025 (16:00 Irish standard time)
Authorisation deadline: 5 June 2025 (16:00 Irish standard time)
A recording and the slides from the information webinar for applicants held on 9 April 2025 can be found at the bottom of this page.
Applicants should review the information provided here and in the call documentation. For any other queries, please contact research@epa.ie.
How to apply
All applications must be made using the EPA’s Online Grant Management and Application Portal (https://epa.smartsimple.ie) in advance of the deadline.
Applicants are strongly encouraged to review the following documentation in advance of preparing an application :
Applicants may apply under 29 topics addressing identified policy and evidence needs with projects ranging in duration from 12 to 48 months. A list of the Topic for each of the EPA Research Hubs is provided below. Applicants are advised to carefully review the Technical Description Document for detailed information on the background, scope and expected outputs.
Facilitating a Green and Circular Economy (6 Topics)
Protecting and Restoring our Natural Environment (7 Topics)
Cross-cutting area
Please note that while proposals under these Topics may cross-cut any area(s) relevant to the EPA Research Programme, submissions on our Grants Management System will be made under the “Addressing Climate Change Evidence Needs” Research Hub using the relevant Call Topic Reference, specified in the Technical Description Document.
Topic Title
Max Budget (€)
Policy interactions, synergies and trade-offs in the transport and food systems
€330,000
Impact of global megatrends on environmental objectives
€165,000
Addressing Climate Change Evidence Needs
Topic Title
Max Budget (€)
Indicators of policy impacts on progress towards climate targets
€330,000
Sources and sinks of methane in Ireland
€495,000
Vitality and stability of carbon sinks
€495,000
Ex-post emissions savings for climate-related policies in Ireland
€165,000
Integrated analysis of air pollution data in Ireland
€330,000
Joint probability of flood events for Ireland’s coast
€165,000
Investment in resilient infrastructure
€330,000
Collective Action: case studies and best practice to deliver climate outcomes
€165,000
Delivering a Healthy Environment
Topic Title
Max Budget (€)
Economic burden of radon-related lung cancer in Ireland and cost effectiveness of radon prevention in Irish homes
€330,000
Assessment of temporal and spatial trends of persistent organic pollutants in the Irish environment and waste
€330,000
Regulatory gaps and emerging challenges in Ireland's distilling sector
€165,000
Artificial intelligence and other novel tools to undertake market surveillance for restricted chemicals
€165,000
Greening of test methods used by regulatory chemistry laboratories
€330,000
Addressing nitrogen pollution in Ireland - developing a sustainable nitrogen management approach
€330,000
Facilitating a Green and Circular Economy
Topic Title
Max Budget (€)
The effect of market prices, regulations and fiscal measures on the recycling rate of key waste streams
€165,000
Optimal extended producer responsibility (EPR) models for the circular economy
€165,000
The fate of post-consumer textiles exported from Ireland
€330,000
Monitoring system of the environmental and social sustainability and circularity of industrial biobased systems
€330,000
Analysis of packaging re-use systems for Ireland
€165,000
Assessing Ireland’s waste system and its implications on waste capacity
€165,000
Protecting and Restoring our Natural Environment
Topic Title
Max Budget (€)
Assessing the impact of landscape fragmentation on ecosystems
€165,000
Novel methods to remotely detect peat removal at scale
€165,000
Impacts of dams, in-stream barriers and hydromorphological alterations on thermal regimes in water bodies
€660,000
Building the evidence base for water reuse in a changing climate
€330,000
Long-term river flow statistics in the context of changing climate
€165,000
Improving the efficiency of Strategic Environmental Assessments by focusing on significant environmental effects
€165,000
Determining environmental impacts on landscape – understanding landscape sensitivity in assessment of strategic plans and programmes
The EPA is pleased to announce that the EPA Research Call 2025 involves a partnership with Met Éireann, the Office of Public Works (OPW) and the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) who may provide co-funding for any proposals selected for funding that are aligned with their research priorities.
Met Éireann’s mission is to monitor, analyse and predict Ireland's weather and climate and to provide a range of high quality meteorological and related information. As Ireland’s National Meteorological Service, Met Éireann is maintained by the State under the UN Convention of the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO). It is the public service scientific organisation responsible to the Irish State for the collection and production of high-quality meteorological data; the communication of authoritative weather and climate services to protect life and property, and to promote wider societal and economic wellbeing; conducting research into weather and climate, to inform decision-making; and representing Ireland to the WMO, ECMWF (European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts) and EUMETSAT (European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites). (www.met.ie)
The Office of Public Works (OPW) has responsibility for leading and coordinating a whole of Government approach to the implementation of the national flood policy. This involves the identification of flood risk and the development of a planned programme of feasible flood relief works, combined with a greater emphasis on non-structural flood risk management measures. Within this remit, the OPW supports and promotes research for flood hydrology, and applies this to the national programme of flood mapping and the design of flood protection schemes.
The National Parks and Wildlife Service is an Executive Agency within the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, with primary responsibility for nature conservation, wildlife protection and the presentation and preservation of our National Parks and Nature Reserves.
As part of its wide range of functions the EPA manages an environmental research programme that delivers essential scientific support for environmental policy development, implementation and broader decision making. The EPA Research Programme is a Government of Ireland initiative funded by the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications. A ten-year high-level framework (2021-2030), EPA Research 2030, has been designed to ensure that EPA's research programming is agile, responsive and flexible.
The scope of EPA-funded research is informed by its relevance to policy and its alignment with the key activities of the EPA. EPA Research 2030 comprises four interconnected hubs that bring an integrated and cross-sectoral approach, enabling holistic management and protection of our environment:
Addressing Climate Change Evidence Needs
Facilitating a Green and Circular Economy
Delivering a Healthy Environment
Protecting and Restoring our Natural Environment
Details on EPA Research 2030, its hubs and all other aspects of the EPA Research Programme can be found on the Research section of the website.
Information on current and completed research projects being supported by the EPA Research Programme is available on the EPA Research Project Database. Research Reports for all completed projects are also available on our website.
