Met Éireann, the Irish National Meteorological Service, has announced €2.8 million in funding for six university-led research projects focused on climate services and flood forecasting.
The funding is being provided under Met Éireann‘s Research Call 2024, part of its Weather and Climate Research Programme, which seeks to ‘strengthen national research capacity and scientific expertise in weather and climate, through high-impact projects’, Met Éireann said in a statement.
Successful projects include TRANSLATE-3: Underpinning Data, led by Dr Paul Nolan at the University of Galway; BRACE: Building Resilience and Adaptation Capacity for future extreme Events, led by Dr Paraic Ryan at University College Cork; EXACT: Extremes Across Climates and Timeframes, led by Professor Conor Murphy at Maynooth University; CLIMB: Climate services for Multi-sector Benefits, led by Dr Paul Holloway at University College Cork; ClimEnergise: Climate-Informed Energy Systems Planning to Support Ireland’s Net Zero Ambitions, led by Dr Vahid Aryanpur at University College Cork; and IMUFF: Integrated Multi-model Multi-hazard Flood Forecasting, led by Dr Indiana Olbert at the University of Galway.
Five of the projects fall under Met Éireann’s TRANSLATE climate flagship programme, which seek to optimise standardised climate projections for Ireland, and deepen understanding around climate change and extreme weather impacts.
Awards range from just under €300,000 to just under €600,000, depending on the project.
‘Collective understanding’
“We look forward to the significant advancements each institution will contribute to our collective understanding of weather, climate, and environmental systems,” commented Eoin Moran, director of Met Éireann. “These research projects represent critical contributions to both national and international efforts to address climate change, extreme weather, and environmental sustainability.
“As a proud supporter of innovative research, Met Éireann is committed to ongoing exploration that supports adaptive responses and strategic planning for improved climate resilience.”
Met Éireann launched its Weather and Climate Research Programme in 2018, initially through co-funding partnerships with other research funding organisations. With the Research Call 2024, the programme now enters its fourth round, having funded €10.3 million in research across Irish academic institutions to date.
Close to 80% of this year’s applications came from researchers new to the programme, Met Éireann added. Read more here.
