John Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 73: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food her views on the grant assistance available in the bio-energy and agri-environment areas under the research stimulus fund. [24473/06]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The areas of bio-energy and agri-environment are of particular interest due to the environmental advantages of biofuels, the increasing cost of fossil fuels, the opportunity farmers now have to explore alternative farm enterprises and the current requirements on farmers to farm in an environmentally friendly way. In view of this the call for proposals under the Research Stimulus Fund Programme in 2005 and the new round of research proposals being funded under the 2006 Research Stimulus Fund Programme includes both of these areas.

Under the 2005 Research Stimulus Fund Programme, 12 research projects were awarded grant assistance totalling €4.5 million. The research projects selected for funding cover a broad range of areas including agri-environment, non-food crops and agri-food economics and will involve inter-institutional collaboration. 3 of the projects selected for funding relate to research projects involving biofuels and energy crops and received total grant assistance of some €0.9 million. 5 of the projects selected relate to the agri-environment area and were awarded total grant assistance of €2.6 million.

Funding, recently awarded for the new round of research proposals under the 2006 Research Stimulus Fund Programme, provides grant assistance totalling €18m to 35 research projects and will involve inter-institutional collaboration. The research projects selected include also the theme areas of animal and plant biosciences in addition to the non-food uses of agricultural land, agri-environment and agri-economy and policy. 2 of the projects selected for funding relate to research projects involving biofuels and energy crops and received total grant assistance of some €0.6 million. 8 of the projects selected relate to the agri-environment area and were awarded total grant assistance of €6.2 million.

The research will support sustainable agricultural production in its broad sense, particularly development and use of knowledge in the biosciences in order to exploit new and emerging opportunities that support competitiveness and the sustainable use of natural resources.

The projects being funded both under the 2005 and 2006 programmes should produce benefits not only for producers but also for the wider community. They will also contribute to improved collaboration between various research institutions and to the establishment of critical mass in certain research areas.