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Two Midlands Bioeconomy projects awarded €10 million in EU JTF funding
The Irish government and the EU have announced €10 million in funding from the EU Just Transition Fund for two bioeconomy demonstration projects aimed at fostering innovation and sustainability in the Midlands region.
The two awards of €5 million each will support Bioeconomy piloting and demonstration projects in the wider midlands region. The projects will be located at Mount Lucas in Co. Offaly and the National Bioeconomy Campus in Lisheen, Thurles, Co. Tipperary. They aim to create innovation hubs for developing new bio-based products to replace fossil-based ones.
The first project Lisheen Bioeconomy Scaleup Initiative (BioScaleUP), led by Tipperary County Council, will demonstrate six innovative biotechnologies at the national multipurpose bioeconomy pilot biorefinery facility at the National Bioeconomy Campus, Lisheen Thurles, Co. Tipperary. Operating up to Technology readiness level (TRL) 7, the facility will function as a platform for the collaboration between research performing organisations (RPOs) through the BiOrbic Bioeconomy Research Centre, SMEs, and large industry for biorefinery and biomanufacturing. The project will enable the conversion of renewable biobased feedstocks into biobased chemicals, materials, food ingredients, biofuels and other bioproducts.
The second project Mount Lucas Circular Bioeconomy Aquaculture Demonstration Initiative (Circular IMTA) will harness the use of a novel recirculating, peatland-based, integrated-multitrophic aquaculture (IMTA) site at Mount Lucas. It will demonstrate the development of biobased value-chains and products for new feeds and foods from cultivated-duckweed and macroalgae at scale that use fish waste stream as biobased fertilizers to cultivate the duckweed and macroalgae.
Commenting on the two newly funded initiatives, Minister McConalogue stated:
“The bioeconomy has the potential to improve the environmental, economic, and social sustainability of the agri-food sector through offering diversification opportunities, through the development of new products, business models and value chains, and reducing the use of non-sustainable inputs in all economic sectors including in the agri-food sector. I am delighted to announce this €10 million investment in two innovative bioeconomy projects as part of Irelands implementation of the EU Just Transition Fund.”
Clare Bannon, Acting Director of the Eastern and Midland Regional Assembly (EMRA), the Managing Authority for Ireland’s EU Just Transition Fund Programme, said:
“I welcome the announcement today of the projects that will receive funding through the Bioeconomy Demonstration Initiative under the EU Just Transition Fund (EU JTF). It is another significant milestone for the EU JTF Programme as this initiative is the first of its kind in Ireland in its approach to pilot and demonstrate the bioeconomy in action. The selected projects highlight the ingenuity and locally conceived ideas that have the potential to make a lasting impact on the wider Midland region. We also extend our gratitude to all the applicants for their submissions, which have shown dedication to the opportunity that exists in the region.”
Read full press release on gov.ie.
Launch of EU JTF Midlands Pathway to Just Transition Project
A €3.9 million project to boost economic growth in Ireland’s Midlands was launched at the Cube in Portlaoise on 4th October 2024. The Midlands Regional Enterprise Plan, Pathway for Just Transition, aims to support Longford, Laois, Offaly, and Westmeath. It was launched by Ministers Eamon Ryan and Peter Burke. The project is co-funded by the Irish Government and the European Union by the EU Just Transition Fund.
Under the scheme a series of actions will be implemented to support the regions economy in five distinct areas:
- Midlands Pathway to Transition – supporting the transition to a net zero economy
- Delivering the Midlands Advanced Manufacturing Action Plan
- Delivering the Midlands ICT Action Plan
- Delivering the Midlands Ireland Placemaking Programme
- Delivering the Midlands Ireland Regional Food and Drink Strategy
In addition to supporting economic development this Midlands Pathway Plan places a heavy emphasis on education and future skills. There will be an expansion of award-winning regional STEM education programmes, such as Dream Space and VEX Robotics, to over 280 primary and secondary schools across the region. The programme will also support investment in digitalisation and equipment for schools.
Appropriate resourcing will be assigned to ensure the delivery of action plans that have been developed to support the growth of the key enterprise sectors of Advanced Manufacturing, Engineering, ICT and Food and Drink. In addition, the development of career pathways aims to provide people with upskilling and reskilling opportunities, such as in the area of ICT, where a regional skill survey identifies approximately 800 job openings in the next three years.
Speaking at the launch, Eamon Ryan TD, Minister for Environment, Climate and Communications said
“A just transition is all about ensuring that the benefits and opportunities of the transition to a green economy are shared widely and equally. The purpose of the Just Transition Fund is to help communities not only move towards a new green future, but to ensure that they thrive, that they are great places to live and work and that they have a strong economic path and future. This Enterprise Plan is about hooking into the ingenuity, drive and innovation that is here in the Midlands and turning it into a vibrant economic region that will deliver real improvements for people right across the four counties while also supporting ongoing decarbonisation.”
Cllr Catherine Fitzgerald, Cathaoirleach of the Eastern and Midlands Regional Assembly, said
“The launching of the Midlands Regional Enterprise Plan Pathway for Just Transition project is an important occasion for not just the EU Just Transition Fund programme but also for the Eastern and Midland Regional Assembly, having been instrumental in the inception of the EUJTF Local and Regional Economic Strategies Support Scheme. It is a testament to the Regional Assembly, the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications and Pobal’s commitment to supporting local ideas and innovations for navigating the challenges and opportunities presented by the transition to a climate-neutral economy. This project shows how a regional approach can amplify impacts and we are looking forward to following its progress.”
The project will have a transformative impact on the employment base within the region. The project proposes generating employment, including the provision of ‘Just Transition Officers’, appointed at Local Authority level in Offaly, Longford, Westmeath and Laois. These Officers will seek to directly support impacted communities and facilitate collaboration across Just Transition projects with their technical expertise. They will support and empower those who seek alternative employment and community opportunities, demonstrating the strong commitment of local Authorities in supporting communities across the core EU JTF territory.
Read more on midlandsireland.ie
Pathway to Just Transition Launch