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.
