Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Simon Harris TD recently announced an investment of €28 million in the iCRAG SFI Research Centre for Applied Geosciences hosted at University College Dublin. iCRAG is focused on developing innovative science and technology to better understand the Earth’s past, present, and future, to create solutions for a sustainable society, including developing Ireland’s wind energy capacity off the East coast.
In the coming weeks, iCRAG researchers based at the UCD School of Civil Engineering will be undertaking an investigation to assess the feasibility of a novel fibre-optic approach to carrying out offshore site investigations for windfarm developments in the Irish Sea. The iCRAG investment is part of a €193 million investment announced by Minister Harris TD in five Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) Research Centres for six years. This SFI investment is further backed by significant industry support from 200 industry partners committing over €91 million in cash and in-kind contributions. This investment by SFI will support approximately 1,060 graduate and post-doctoral students and research fellows employed by the Centres, including over 130 researchers by iCRAG across eight research institutes.
iCRAG Director, Professor Murray Hitzman, UCD School of Earth Sciences, said, “SFI’s new funding to our Centre means that we can expand our research efforts to help Ireland reach carbon neutrality by 2050. iCRAG will continue to work with industry partners from across Ireland and the world to help meet global environmental targets.”
Speaking of iCRAG’s planned fibre-optic cable investigation Andrew Trafford, UCD School of Civil Engineering said, “Understanding the seabed off the Irish coast is key to installing offshore windfarms to power our sustainable future. This March, aboard the Celtic Voyager, we will be applying a novel technology using laser interrogation of fibre-optic cables, in Dundalk Bay, to gain a better understanding of sub-surface conditions. Through this method we are effectively using light you can’t see to listen to sound you can’t hear in order to provide essential information for engineers to design infrastructure projects on the seabed.”
The funding announced today will enable iCRAG to drive research in areas that are critical to society and the economy, including the sustainable discovery of energy resources and raw materials required for decarbonisation, climate change mitigation and adaptation, securing and protecting groundwater and marine resources and protecting society from Earth’s hazards such as flooding and landslides.
Minister Simon Harris TD said, “I am delighted to announce this significant Government investment in five SFI Research Centres, which reflects Ireland’s position as a world leader in research and innovation. The investment will ensure that we are prepared for the changes and disruption that we are facing in addressing global societal and economic challenges.” He added, “SFI Research Centres promote discovery and impact, as well as collaboration between academia, government and industry across the Island of Ireland and internationally. This support will further enhance the important work these Centres have already achieved, so they continue to play a pivotal role in the years ahead in protecting the wellbeing of the population and the economy.” He concluded, “The five centres will also work to promote science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) to the wider public through extensive Education and Public Engagement outreach. These initiatives include summer computer camps, developing secondary school education modules, and residency programmes for filmmakers, artists and teachers to forge collaborations between researchers and the community.”
Awards of funding to SFI Research Centres are made following rigorous international expert peer reviews. For more information visit www.sfi.ie/sfi-research-centres/
