EPA research framework agreements

The EPA has also entered research framework agreements for specific areas of research:

Read more about the research framework agreement with the:

• Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI)
• Institute of Public Administration (IPA)

EPA-ESRI research framework agreement

The EPA/ESRI Environment Research Programme brings together a diverse set of research topics with the objective of assessing the ways in which the environment interacts with economic and social processes.

The latest phase started in July 2020, the programme cover ten projects on topics such as the link between water quality and human health; behavioural interventions to improve waste management; the design of a green, equitable and socially responsible agricultural subsidy scheme; and green VAT reform.

The second phase was carried out between 2018 and 2020 with 12 topics which can be grouped into five broad themes:

• examining the impact of the environment on health and wellbeing;
• characteristics of biodiversity data recorders;
• using behavioural science to design and test behaviourally informed regulatory communications;
• examining the drivers and consequences of green innovations and green investments;
• investigating land use and spatial planning issues.

Read the final report of the second phase: Research on the Environment, Health, Consumer Behaviour and the Economy

The first phase was carried out between 2016 and 2018 with seven topics which can be groups under three headings, each capturing a different approach to gathering evidence:

• assembling data from many sources to characterise policies that affect the environment;
• transforming and combining existing data in new ways to allow analysis that is more robust; and
• collecting new data that relate human behaviour to environmental conditions and outcomes.

 Read the final report of the first phase: Research on Aspects of Ireland’s Environment, Consumer Behaviour and Health

EPA-IPA research framework agreement

The EPA-IPA research programme started in 2020 and focusses on experimental governance and water governance.

Outputs

• Read the report: Using an Experimental Governance Lens to Examine Governance of the River Basin Management Plan for Ireland 2018–2021
• Read the report: Using the OECD Water Governance Indicator Framework to Review the Implementation of the River Basin Management Plan for Ireland 2018–2021
• Read the report: An Fóram Uisce (The Water Forum) as an Example of Stakeholder Engagement in Governance