Food Research Ireland - Department of Agriculture

An important output of funding research through national research
programmes is the ability to internationalise our national research
capacity. Researchers who have developed competency under national
funding programmes are expected to continuously engage with
international consortia and leverage additional funding to augment their
research activities. However, Ireland must continue to identify
opportunities for further international collaboration with regard to food
research. In doing so, Ireland can leverage additional resources that will
not only strengthen the national capacity but will also ensure that our
research is not only in line with international standards but in some cases
can lead the international science.
North South co-operation – there is significant political-will in both parts
of the island to advance collaboration with regard to funding research,
however, at funding body level engagement is poor. As an initial phase
it may be appropriate to develop key collaborations in certain mutually
agreed priority areas in order to develop the processes and
methodologies for further collaboration on an ongoing basis. The fact
that Ireland adopts an all island approach to FP7 could be used as sound
rationale for such a joined up strategy. In order to make such an
arrangement it is important that contacts are established at a high level.
Currently, DAFM, through their competitive research programmes have
funded research consortia which include partners from RPO’s in
Northern Ireland. In addition, Safefood consistently funds projects on an
all-island basis. It is important to develop further the North-South
collaboration in research.
International Agreements - DAFM already have experience of such
international agreements through its Memoranda of Understanding
(MOU) in food research with the USDA and the FDA. Consideration
should be given to entering into discussions with other significant
international research players with a view, possibly, to agreeing other
MOU’s. This could be achieved by DAFM re-examining the relationship
with USDA and FDA and look to develop further mutually beneficial
relationships. To date there has been some engagement with Finland
and The Netherlands which merit further consideration. As a starting
point, research agreements between Irish RPO’s and their international
counterparts should be examined to determine the most appropriate
countries with whom we should cob-operate. European Research Area
Networks (ERANETs) and other EU programmes could provide the
opportunity for developing such cross border relationships.
International Research Funding - The successful implementation of Food
Research Ireland requires excellent research and excellent researchers.
The EU’s 7th Framework Programme 35 offers Irish researchers the
opportunity to work with and be the best in Europe and to showcase
our research excellence.
Ireland’s involvement in international research is a central component in
the development of a knowledge economy. Over the course of the past
10 years there has been considerable investment by the Irish
Government in building national research capacity, capability and critical
mass. Our stated objectives of internationalisation and the importance
of collaboration with other researchers outside of Ireland will require
researchers who have attracted considerable national investment to
advance and develop international research collaborations. Indeed,
many Irish researchers have been successful in attracting international
funds from the EU Framework Programme, National Institute of Health
in the USA and others. However, additional funds can be leveraged.
35 The Seventh EU Framework Programme (FP7) for research and technological development is the European Union’s main instrument for funding research in Europe. The programme is set to run from 2007 to
2013 and has a budget of €53.2bn over its seven-year lifespan with €1.9bn dedicated to research in the food, agricultural, fisheries and biotechnological theme area. FP7 has 4 main elements: Cooperation; Ideas;
People and Capacities. Further details are available on www.fp7ireland.com. Irish researchers in the agri-food sector focus mainly on Cooperation Theme 2: 'Food, Agriculture and Fisheries, and Biotechnology'
(FAFB) for funding. This theme is built around three major activities:
• Sustainable production and management of biological resources from land, forest and aquatic environments;
• Fork to farm: Food (including seafood), health and well-being;
• Life sciences, biotechnology and biochemistry for sustainable non-food products and processes.
Food Research Ireland
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