SEAI awards €21 million of Government funding for Energy Research and Development Projects

SEAI is delighted to announce that together with four co-funding partners, 37 new research projects have been awarded a total of €21 million in Government funding.

  • €21 million of Government funding will support a wide range of energy research projects across Ireland
  • 37 small, medium, and large-scale projects, as well as academic fellowships will benefit from the funding
  • Four co-funding partners including National Parks and Wildlife Service, Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Marine Institute and Geological Survey Ireland join to support selected projects 

These awards will support and enable a wide range of energy research projects to improve the influence and impact of Irish energy research and development. 

SEAI’s National Energy Research, Development and Demonstration (RDD) Funding Programme is accelerating Ireland's transition to a clean and secure energy future by supporting and connecting research institutes, industry, and public sector bodies with policymakers in Ireland.  Successful 2024 RDD awards include six small, twenty medium and eight large-scale projects, as well as three academic fellowships supporting a broad range of energy research across Ireland. The projects address crucial areas such as supporting citizens in their energy journey, biofuels and agriculture, solar energy, geothermal, energy storage, carbon capture and environmental climate targets. 

Examples of successful projects include:

GEODYN project, Trinity College Dublin, aims to enhance knowledge about offshore wind turbine foundations through advanced testing and modelling of Irish seabed soils, while GasAbate Complete, GlasPort Bio Limited, will show how animal slurry can be used as a starting point for anaerobic digestion and demonstrate how it can be achieved more widespread and cheaper using medium-scale anaerobic digestion plants, which will greatly reduce Ireland’s GHG emissions and make Irish agriculture more competitive internationally.  

The SEAI National Energy RDD Funding Programme, which is funded by the Government of Ireland through the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, enhances collaboration across a wide range of stakeholders, in particular promoting multidisciplinary, transdisciplinary, and interdisciplinary research approaches. As RDD awards continue to grow, the organisation extends its gratitude towards 2024 co-funders, the National Parks and Wildlife Service for supporting a project on bats’ migration to avoid any potential negative impacts of offshore wind energy infrastructure on these protected species, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine for two projects in bioenergy and bioeconomy, and the Geological Survey Ireland for co-funding a project on the geological storage potential of offshore Ireland.  

Projects were awarded to researchers based in several prestigious academic and technological institutions and private enterprises including Trinity College Dublin, University College Dublin, University of Galway, University College Cork, Dublin City University, Atlantic Technological University, Maynooth University, Munster Technological University, South East Technological University, Technological University of Shannon, as well as  ÉireComposites Teo, Flexible Power Solutions Limited, Gavin & Doherty Geosolutions, GlasPort Bio Ltd., HeatGrid Ireland, TechWorks Marine. 

Speaking on today's announcement, Minister for Climate, Environment and Energy, Daragh O’Brien TD said:  

“I am very pleased to see a further 37 research projects awarded funding through the SEAI RDD programme. Research and innovation are vital for the decarbonisation of our energy system, as prioritised in our Research and Innovation Strategy to 2030. The areas addressed by these projects support our vision for a climate-neutral, sustainable future for our citizens, businesses and communities.”

Margie McCarthy, Director of Research and Policy Insights at SEAI added: 

"Informed research and evidence-based policy are essential for addressing the critical challenges of our time. The transition to clean energy is not just a technological necessity but also a foundation for the well-being of future generations. These innovations to combat climate change and drive meaningful progress contribute to SEAI's mission to be at the forefront of delivering Ireland's energy transition."

The list of all awarded projects can be found here 2024 Awards. A number of projects are awaiting commencement, when their details will be added to the database. 

The 2025 SEAI RDD Call will open for applications in March/April 2025 and will again include both open and thematic strands.  More details will be announced soon on the SEAI website. 

Details of energy research projects can be viewed on the National Energy Research Database.  

For energy research related queries please contact [email protected].