This page provides a list of frequently asked questions and answers that relate to the EPA Research call and Green Enterprise call.
The new EPA website will be launched in late May/early June 2021. This will affect all www.epa.ie hyperlinks included in the EPA Research Call 2021 documentation. The documents will be re-published with amended hyperlinks on the new EPA website.
Yes. When registering as an applicant on the EPA's Grant Management and Application Portal you will need to include the details of your organisation. Organisations must be approved by the EPA – if your organisation has not been approved by the EPA you will not be able to submit an application.
A core principle of the funding provided under the EPA Research Programme is that it promotes the development of research capacity on the island of Ireland. Therefore, applications for funding will only be considered where the lead applicant organisation is located on the island of Ireland.
Whilst co-applicant organisations located in other jurisdictions may participate in projects funded by the EPA Research Programme (as Co-applicants), they are restricted in terms of the categories of expenditure considered eligible for funding. Further details are provided in the EPA Research Programme 2021-2030 Guidelines and Terms & Conditions
Yes, however you can only create one application per Call Topic.
If a Lead Applicant has been awarded a grant under a previous call can they submit an application under the new call?
Yes
Yes
No. For the purposes of applying using the EPA's Grant Management and Application Portal only one person can complete the online application form and be listed as the Lead Applicant. All other applicants should be invited and listed as Co-applicants.
No. Researchers may not apply for or participate in projects which are to be co-funded by their organisation, even if their organisation would not be in receipt of funding.
Full details are provided in the 2021 Guidelines and Terms & Conditions.
This is possible, however it must be noted that funding related to the PhD will only be reimbursed in relation to the period that they are working on the project. For example, if the project is of 3 years duration and the PhD student is not recruited until the end of month three, funding will only be reimbursed for 2 years and nine months.
The EPA's Grant Management and Application Portal can be accessed by clicking on the following link: https://epa.smartsimple.ie/s_Login.jsp
If your organisation has made an application previously, it should appear when you start typing in the ‘Organisation Name’ box.
If not, clear your internet history and refresh your application. If the problem still persists try moving to a different browser.
If your organisation is not registered on our system you will need to submit a registration request – click on the Applicants Register Here button on the portal login page.
Before registering please read the instructions at the top of page.
Guidance on using the EPA's Grant Management and Application portal can be found on the Grants Management page of the EPA Website, or accessed when logged into the portal.
The system will automatically log you out after 60 minutes of inactivity. If you are experiencing invalid session messages, or are frequently being logged out of the system after less than 60 minutes of inactivity please follow these steps to try and resolve the issue:
If the above actions do not resolve the issue please contact your IT support team.
If you have attempted to login several times using incorrect login details you will be temporarily locked out of the system - please wait at least 10 minutes before trying again. If invalid username or password messages continue to appear on the screen, before attempting to login again please:
For the EPA Research 2021 Call, the deadline for technical queries is 5.00pm Irish Standard Time on the 7th July 2021.
All queries which are not covered in the Call Documents or the User Guides should be directed to research@epa.ie.
Innovative research proposals are invited to address the scope of the topics included in the call. Proposals should therefore cover/address (but are not limited to) all aspects as listed in the Topic Scope.
Where in their control, the data and information referred to will be freely available from Bord an Mona and National Parks and Wildlife Service. Following project kick-off and at a time when the research group are ready to articulate their needs, the EPA will lead a technical scoping meeting involving the successful research group, NPWS and BnM regarding research site selection, data exchange needs, site access protocols, instrumentation available, etc. Through the life of the project the EPA will continue to collaborate with the key stakeholders and the successful Researcher in relation to ongoing aspects of data access. In cases where any instrumentation is associated with another wetlands research activity there will likely be a need for the two research groups to establish a data sharing, publication and acknowledgment agreement.
It is not expected that representatives from these peatland restoration projects are included in the research consortium. The EPA is looking for independent scientific investigations to demonstrate the effectiveness of the rehabilitation/restoration schemes.
The Green Enterprise programme is not structured or intended to provide funding to the third level sector and is restricted by state aid rules. This means that all organisations applying for funding have to provide written declarations that they have not been in receipt of more than €200,000 in state aid in the last three years including any funding applied for as part of this programme. Accordingly, it may be challenging for any third level institution to meet this criterion.
No. The Green Enterprise call is not open to applicants outside of Ireland.
The financial rules of the Green Enterprise Programme do not allow partner organisations to participate. However, where an applicant requires expertise not available within their own organisation, they can use the resources of an external provider by way of external assistance. Any external assistance arrangement must be mindful of public procurement obligations.