Applications: Deadline for applications is Friday 8 August 2025, 12:00pm noon.
• €10 million for a ‘2025 Bioeconomy Demonstration Initiative’ under the EU Just Transition Fund
• This will support the development of two bioeconomy pilot and demonstration projects in the ‘Designated Territories’ of the Midlands, which includes the counties of Laois, Longford, Offaly, Westmeath, Roscommon, and the Municipal Districts of Ballinasloe (Co. Galway), Athy and Clane-Maynooth (Co. Kildare), and Carrick-on-Suir and Thurles (Co. Tipperary).
Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon TD, Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment, Darragh O’Brien TD, and Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Noel Grealish TD, today announced the opening of a second call for proposals for bioeconomy pilot and demonstration projects under the EU Just Transition Fund.
The bioeconomy involves the use of renewable and sustainable biomass from agriculture and forestry to produce alternative products reducing the reliance on fossil fuels and enhancing resource efficiency. The ‘Bioeconomy Demonstration Initiative’ is designed to pilot and demonstrate the ‘bioeconomy in action’ within the designated territories under the fund. The scheme is co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union through the EU Just Transition Fund.
In making the announcement, Minister Heydon stated: “I am delighted to announce the opening of this €10 million Call for Proposals for Bioeconomy Demonstration Initiatives. The focus of this initiative is to accelerate the commercialisation of bio-based innovation and solutions, such as developing biochar products to promote its use in agriculture and industry, for innovative bio-based food and feed ingredients, for biobased materials for the construction sector and for bio-based value chains for valorisation of sustainable crops. The fund seeks to scale up breakthrough demonstration activities, that will be particularly beneficial for the farming community and for agri-food industries by enabling diversification of value streams, adding value to farm residues, strengthening the role of primary producers in the value chain, and generating new jobs in rural areas.”
Minister for the Department of the Climate, Energy and the Environment, Darragh O’Brien TD, commented:
“Investment in the bioeconomy offers a valuable opportunity for Ireland to leverage its natural resources to provide a just transition to a carbon-neutral economy. This initiative aims to empower the Midlands to become a leader in the development of Ireland’s bioeconomy, simultaneously promoting economic growth while reducing carbon emissions and biodiversity loss. I anticipate that the projects funded by the Bioeconomy Demonstration Initiative will showcase the diversity and scale of the potential opportunities in this rapidly growing sector”.
Minister of State with special responsibility for Research and Development, Noel Grealish TD, remarked:
“This funding for bioeconomy demonstration initiatives will build on previously funded research and innovation of more than €40 million in the bioeconomy by my Department. With these building blocks now in place, it is critical that we move those bioeconomy innovations from the research lab to scaled up demonstration level. This will help the agri-food system to become more circular, sustainable, and resilient.”
Acting Director of the Eastern and Midland Regional Assembly, Managing Authority of the EU Just Transition Fund, Clare Bannon, said:
“The overarching priority of the fund is to diversify the local economy, which means deploying the resourcefulness of the Midlands, in this case through environmental innovation. The Bioeconomy has the potential to create new high value revenue streams using sustainable materials sourced from the natural environment. This is an important step towards making a sustainable future economically viable”.
Applications must be submitted online through Application Submission Portal – Department of Agriculture, Food, and the Marine with a closing date of 08.08.2025 at 12pm
With an indicative budget of EUR 90 million ERDF, the third Call for Proposals of EUI – Innovative Actions is targeting innovative projects focusing on the two topics: ‘Energy transition’ and ‘Technology in cities’.
The Call for Proposals is open now!
Rolling call. Strategic Partnership Agreement will be signed between Fáilte Ireland and relevant Public Landowners.
The purpose of the Investment Grant-Aid Scheme for Strategic Partners (State Agencies), administered by Fáilte Ireland, is to deliver grant-aid to relevant State Agencies within the EU Just Transition Territory to deliver improved tourism infrastructure, facilities, and visitor experiences.
In line with Fáilte Ireland’s Investment Grant-Aid Scheme for Private & Community SMEs (scheme B within the EU Just Transition Fund Action 1.1), these Schemes will focus on the areas of Visitor Experience Improvement, Digital Transformation, Digital User Experience, Accessibility and Sustainability and Regenerative Tourism.
EU Just Transition Fund territory. This includes the entire counties of Laois, Longford, Offaly, Roscommon, Westmeath, and municipal districts of Ballinasloe (Co. Galway), Athy and Clane-Maynooth (Co. Kildare), and Carrick-on-Suir and Thurles (Co. Tipperary).
This call falls under the EU JTF programme Priority 1: Generating Employment for former peat communities by investing in the diversification of the local economy. The specific operation concerned is Action 1.1: Foster the economic diversification of the territory by supporting productive investments in micro-enterprises, SMEs and economic stakeholders in key sectors.
Co-funded by the Government of Ireland and European Union, the EU Just Transition Fund has a single specific objective, which is to enable regions and people to address the social employment, economic and environmental impacts of the transition towards the Union’s 2030 targets for energy and climate and a climate-neutral economy of the Union by 2050, based on the Paris Agreement.
State Agencies in the EU Just Transition territory.
In order to manage the EU Just Transition Fund budget allocation and ensure that an appropriate balance of spend is achieved in line with the overall objectives of the EU Just Transition Fund, is it at the discretion of Fáilte Ireland to place spending caps on one or more of the Schemes (B-G) during their operation, depending on the demand generated for each scheme. The total amount of funding available for Scheme B-G inclusive is €38million.
Indicative amount for this programme is €6-8 million.
Strategic Partnership Agreements are being issued to State Agencies. An application process for eligible State Agencies will follow.
Announcements in relation to funding through this scheme will be on the Fáilte Ireland website.
The purpose of the Investment Grant-Aid Scheme for Strategic Partners (Local Authorities), administered by Fáilte Ireland, is to deliver grant-aid to the eight Local Authorities within the EU Just Transition Territory to deliver improved tourism infrastructure, facilities and visitor experiences.
In line with Fáilte Ireland’s Investment Grant-Aid Scheme for Private & Community SMEs (scheme B within the EU Just Transition Fund Action 1.1), these Schemes will focus on the areas of Visitor Experience Improvement, Digital Transformation, Digital User Experience, Accessibility and Sustainability & Regenerative Tourism.
EU Just Transition Fund territory. This includes the entire counties of Laois, Longford, Offaly, Roscommon, Westmeath, and municipal districts of Ballinasloe (Co. Galway), Athy and Clane-Maynooth (Co. Kildare), and Carrick-on-Suir and Thurles (Co. Tipperary).
Policy objective:
This call falls under the EU JTF programme Priority 1: Generating Employment for former peat communities by investing in the diversification of the local economy. The specific operation concerned is Action 1.1: Foster the economic diversification of the territory by supporting productive investments in micro-enterprises, SMEs and economic stakeholders in key sectors.
Co-funded by the Government of Ireland and European Union, the EU Just Transition Fund has a single specific objective, which is to enable regions and people to address the social employment, economic and environmental impacts of the transition towards the Union’s 2030 targets for energy and climate and a climate-neutral economy of the Union by 2050, based on the Paris Agreement.
Local Authorities operating in the EU Just Transition territory (see note on geographical area covered above).
In order to manage the EU Just Transition Fund budget allocation and ensure that an appropriate balance of spend is achieved in line with the overall objectives of the EU Just Transition Fund, is it at the discretion of Fáilte Ireland to place spending caps on one or more of the Schemes (B-G) during their operation, depending on the demand generated for each scheme. The total amount of funding available for Scheme B-G inclusive is €38million.
Indicative amount for this programme is €11-15 million.
Strategic Partnership Agreements are being issued to each Local Authority in the EU Just Transition territory. An application process for eligible State Agencies will follow. This is expected to commence in early 2024.
Announcements in relation to funding through this scheme will be on the Fáilte Ireland website.
Closing date for submission of full Application forms is 13 January 2025. Get applications in now as the scheme will close once available funding is awarded to successful applicants.
Eastern and Midland Regional Assembly
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Main Street, Ballymun
Dublin 9, D09 C8P5
Ireland
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