DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, FOOD AND THE MARINE

Their core work

Ireland's government ministry responsible for national agriculture, food safety, forestry, and marine policy. In H2020, they acted as a funding and policy coordination body for ERA-NET Cofund programmes, channelling national research investment into transnational calls on sustainable farming, greenhouse gas mitigation, animal health, and food systems. Their participation bridges Irish agricultural policy priorities with European research agendas, ensuring that national funding aligns with EU-wide scientific efforts across food production, forestry, and antimicrobial resistance.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In their early H2020 period (2015–2017), the Department focused heavily on forestry — forest inventory harmonisation (DIABOLO), forest-based bioeconomy (ForestValue), and greenhouse gas monitoring from silviculture (ERA-GAS). From 2019 onward, their portfolio shifted decisively toward sustainable crop production, antimicrobial resistance, digital agriculture (NIVA), and climate-food security (FOSC). This reflects a broadening from natural resource monitoring toward food system resilience and One Health concerns.

Moving toward integrated food system challenges — combining digital agriculture, antimicrobial resistance, and climate adaptation — suggesting future collaborations should target these intersections.

How they like to work

Exclusively a participant — they coordinated zero projects and joined 13 as partner, consistent with their role as a national funding ministry rather than a research performer. With 206 unique partners across 47 countries, they sit at the centre of very large ERA-NET consortia (typically 20–40 partners per network). Working with them means accessing Ireland's national co-funding commitment and their policy-level connections, not bench-level research capacity.

Exceptionally broad network of 206 partners across 47 countries, driven by their participation in large ERA-NET Cofund programmes that span EU member states and associated countries. Their reach extends beyond Europe through projects like FOSC (Africa, Americas) and ICRAD (international animal disease coordination).

What sets them apart

As Ireland's agriculture ministry, they bring something most research partners cannot: national policy authority and co-funding commitment. When they join an ERA-NET, they commit Irish national research funds to transnational calls, making them essential for any consortium that needs government-level buy-in from Ireland. For researchers, partnering with them signals policy relevance and opens doors to Irish national funding streams beyond the EU contribution.

Highlights from their portfolio

• NIVA
  Their highest-funded project (EUR 444K) and a departure from ERA-NETs — a direct RIA modernising Europe's farm payment control systems using Earth Observation and GIS.
• ERA-GAS
  Second-largest funding (EUR 384K) and their most thematically distinct project, addressing agricultural greenhouse gas inventories, carbon sequestration uncertainties, and reporting verification.
• JPIAMR-ACTION
  Their most recent project (2021), signalling a strategic move into antimicrobial resistance transmission — a One Health priority connecting agriculture to public health.