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 (see EPA's Grant Management and Application Portal FAQs).

Yes, the EPA Research Calls are open to researchers outside of Ireland.*

However the research topics detailed in the call documentation identify environmental issues for Ireland and therefore proposals should address these. Although not a requirement we encourage Irish partners to be involved as part of the project team.

* this applies to the EPA Reasearch Calls only - the Green Enterprise Calls are not open to applicants outside of Ireland.

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes.  The funding rate is 100% - refer to the Guide for Applicants for full details of the EPA’s funding rules.

It is possible to have two PIs on a project-based award. However, 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 PI.

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 EPA Research Call – Guide for Applicants.

No.  Proposals that request funding in excess of the maximum specified for the call topic will be considered to be invalid and will not proceed to evaluation stage under any circumstances.

The EPA Research Programme runs according to the EPA ‘s Funding rules. There are similarities with Horizon 2020, but there are some differences, for example, it is not a requirement to submit research proposal carried out by transnational consortia. Please note that the EPA Research Programme runs on a not for profit basis.

Full details are provided in the EPA Research Call – Guide for Applicants.

No. Proposals that exceed the maximum duration specified for the call topic will be considered to be invalid and will not proceed to evaluation stage under any circumstances. 

This is possible, however it should be noted that funding related to the PhD will only be reimbursed in relation to the period that they are working on the specified 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.

No

The EPA's Grant Management and Application Protal 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 has not registered with us, please complete the Organisation registration Page on the portal.

When registering please note that the email address given for the applicant and primary or secondary contact cannot be the same.

No – these roles conflict within the system. 

For Private Companies, NGO’s Charities etc it is normally the managing Director, CEO or Finance Officer who would be nominated as the Primary contact.

In the case of Third level Institutions it would be Research Administration Office staff.

For sole traders please provide alternate email addresses – one for your role as an Applicant and another for your role as Primary contact.

The person registering as the applicant is the project leader.

Guidance on using the EPA's Grant Management and Application Portal can be found here:

EPA’S Grant Management and Application Portal

Links to User Guides and additional Video Tutorials are also available once you are 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 that 60 minutes of inactivity please follow these steps to try and resolve the issue:

1. Check you are using a stable internet connection and that your connection is active
2. Clear your internet cache/history, including saved passwords, auto form-fill data and cookies (WARNING: this action will clear all saved passwords and cookies, including those for other sites)
3. Re-enable pop-ups from the site https://epa.smartsimple.ie  
4. Allow cookies for this site (if prompted)
5. Contact your IT support unit and ask that they whitelist the site/add it to the list of sites which be accessed
6. Try connecting using a different network
7. Do not use the back and forward arrows on your internet browser to move between the pages and areas in the system - use the links and buttons provided on the interface.

If the above actions do not resolve the issue please contact your IT support team.

Further guidance on using the system is provided in Registration and General User Notes document, which is available to download from the Grants Managment page on the EPA Website.

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:

1. Clear your internet cache/history, including saved passwords, auto form-fill data and cookies (WARNING: this action will clear all saved passwords and cookies, including those for other sites)
2. Re-enable pop-ups from the site https://epa.smartsimple.ie  
3. Allow cookies for this site (if prompted)
4. Request a password reset
5. Ensure you are using a password which corresponds to the user name you are trying to log in with (your user name is your email address)
6. Ensure you are using the latest password reset issued by email – the emails are issued instantly however depending on your incoming mail server settings they may take a few minutes to arrive. Each time you request a password reset it over-writes the previous password therefore please allow time for the latest email to arrive.

Further guidance on using the system is provided in Registration and General User Notes document, which is available to download from the Grants Managment page on the EPA Website.

For the Climate, Water and Sustainability calls the deadline for technical queries is 5.00pm Irish Standard Time on 19th June 2019.

For the Green Enterprise Call the deadline for technical queries is 5.00pm Irish Standard Time on 20th June 2019.

All queries which are not covered in the Call Documents or the User Guides should be directed to research@epa.ie 

As Met Éireann was involved in the drafting of the topic for Project 6 and was involved in the preparation of the Call specifications, Met Éireann cannot participate in any proposals submitted under this particular topic, even if Met Éireann is not in receipt of funding.

As Met Éireann was involved in the drafting of the topic for Project 12 and was involved in the preparation of the Call specifications, Met Éireann cannot participate in any proposals submitted under this particular topic, even if Met Éireann is not in receipt of funding.

On page 12, the Technical Description refers to "Proposals should consider: …..the determination of optimal flow conditions for the protection of sensitive fish species, undertaken in partnership with Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI)" 

Please note:

Applicants are not required to include IFI as a partner in the research teams applying under this topic. However, proposals submitted under this topic should consider engagement with key stakeholders like IFI during the course of the proposed project, especially where fish is included in the proposed research, as IFI  would need to licence any scientific work related to fish involving fish capture, experimentation, and possibly provide data or assistance, etc. Proposals should also clearly demonstrate possible synergies with ongoing activities.

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.