SEAI announces €20.5M in Government funding for national energy research

The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) has announced €20 million in Government funding to 34 new national energy research awards under the SEAI National Energy Funding Programme in 2025. This comprises 25 Research, Development and Demonstration (RD&D) projects and 9 Energise Fellowships. Funding for these awards is provided by the Government of Ireland through the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment.

The RD&D projects funded by SEAI span small, medium, and large-scale initiatives across critical energy areas, including offshore wind, bioenergy, district heating, green hydrogen, sustainable transport, forecasting, smart buildings, carbon capture, and environmental and climate targets.

The Energise Fellowships Programme supports research across areas including energy poverty alleviation, offshore renewable energy, carbon capture, energy efficient buildings, biofuels, and green hydrogen. They support early-career and mid-career researchers to build national research capacity, bridge the research-to-policy gap and accelerate the development of future research leaders.

The UCD projects are:

Research, Development and Demonstration Awards

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Advanced Rock Anchoring for Offshore Renewable Energy (ARORE)
PI: Professor Shane Donohue, UCD School of Civil Engineering
Value: €576,725

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CO2LPure - CO2 Liquefaction and Purification
PI: Dr Philip Donnellan, UCD School of Chemical and Bioprocess Engineering
Value: €855,675

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Energise Fellowships

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Community-based Programmes for Sustainable Energy (COPSE): a qualitative, multi-methods analysis of community energy programmes in Ireland

PI: Dr Tomas Buitendijk, (opens in a new window)iCRAG, UCD Earth Institute, UCD Lochlann Quinn School of Business

Value: €241,045

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Spatial mapping and AI-based renewable technology framework for utilising emissions and low-carbon fuel integration in Ireland (SMART-IE)

PI: Dr Usman Safder, UCD School of Chemical and Bioprocess Engineering

Value: €263,808

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Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment Darragh O’Brien, TD said, “I am delighted to see the award of these 34 innovative energy research projects and fellowships. Ireland recently reached a landmark of 8GW of renewable energy. The best way to deliver long-term energy independence and affordable costs for Irish households and businesses is to continue to deploy home-grown renewable energy at scale.

“Recent events in the Middle East have reiterated the importance of reducing Ireland’s dependence on imported fossil fuels. These projects will explore important areas of research that, in turn, can enhance the delivery of sustainable, secure, and affordable energy for all.”

William Walsh, CEO at SEAI, added, "These projects have the potential to transform Ireland's energy system. From floating wind to using AI to enhance the efficiency of renewables, this research is on the cutting edge of technology and international best practice. These projects have the potential to transform Ireland's energy system. From floating wind to using AI to enhance the efficiency of renewables, this research is on the cutting-edge of technology and international best practice."Reducing our reliance on fossil fuels will mean a cleaner, healthier, more resilient and competitive future for our country. It will reduce our energy bills and put our country on a more secure footing. At SEAI, we fund the research that will make that vision a reality. Congratulations to the teams awarded this funding and thank you for the significant contribution you have made, and are making, to Ireland's energy transition."

The full list of RD&D awarded projects can be found (opens in a new window)here, and the Fellowship awards (opens in a new window)here. A small number of awards are pending commencement and will be added to the database once finalised.