Researchers: Dr Aidan O’Hanlon (National Museum of Ireland), Dr Annetta Zintl (UCD), Dr David O’Neill (SETU), Dr Denise O’Meara (SETU), Elsie Isiye (SETU), Dr Gerald Barry (UCD), Dr James O’Shaughnessy (DAFM), Ángela Valcarcel Olmeda (UCD), Dr Theo De Waal (UCD), Dr Thomas Curran (SETU)
Blood-feeding insects play a major role in spreading diseases that impact humans and animals. Climate change, along with increased trade and exotic pathogens from Europe, has heightened the risk for Ireland. This project, funded by the Department of Agriculture, aims to create a national network of experts to monitor insects like mosquitoes and biting midges, using both conventional and new methods. The goal is to track their distribution and potential effects of climate change, raising awareness to reduce health risks to humans and animals.
Researchers: Samirah Blaauw (SETU), Dr Samuel Browett (SETU), Denise O’Meara (SETU), Alan McDevitt (ATU), Catherine O’ Reilly (SETU)
The European otter (Lutra lutra) is an elusive animal, with a distribution across Europe. Some regions have experienced declines in otter numbers, but Ireland retains a larger population across the island. They are protected and require careful management for future conservation efforts. We are currently using non-invasive techniques to monitor otter distributions and gain genetic insights to the demographics and ecology of a population of otters at Lough Carra, Co. Mayo, as part of an EU life habitat restoration project.
Researchers: Dr Nick McCarthy (SETU)
The Horizon Europe project FORADVISE will establish a European network of forest advisory organisations, actors, and networks. The 5-year project started on January 1, 2025, and is coordinated by the European Forest Institute (EFI). The FORADVISE consortium brings together the key players in forest advisory services across Europe. The Agency for Renewable Resources (FNR) supports the exchange with actors from the Standing Committee on Agricultural Research (SCAR), particularly with the Strategic Working Group on Forest Research.
The goal of FORADVISE is to support the modernisation of the forestry sector and contribute to the achievement of EU and national policy targets. The project aims to accelerate knowledge exchange, enhance the competencies of forest advisors beyond traditional areas of advice, and develop pathways for a future Forest Knowledge and Innovation System (FOKIS) in Europe. The ultimate goal is to promote resilient, multifunctional, and productive forests in Europe.
To achieve this, FORADVISE will create a pan-European forest advisory network and initiate a knowledge-sharing process between European actors. Additionally, knowledge transfer pilots will be implemented to adapt advisory practices to new contexts. Training modules will be developed to contextualise proven approaches and materials. A Cost-Benefit-Analysis toolkit will be created to enhance advisors’ capacity to assess the social and economic impacts of forestry actions. The insights gained will form the basis for the systematic engagement of policymakers to create actionable and desirable pathways for the development of forest advisory systems in Europe and integrate forest advisors into the AKIS (Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation Systems) of the member states.
Project activities will be supported by targeted communication measures. Over the course of the project, a smooth transition to a self-sustaining network will be prepared. A dedicated task will identify working modalities and business models for the long-term continuation of the network.
Researchers: Dr Emma O’Keefe (SETU), Dr Nick Mc Carthy (SETU), Prof Helen Hughes (SETU), Prof Peter McLoughlin (SETU), Dr Shiau Pin (Graece) Tan (SETU)
Seaweeds grow in relative abundance along the Irish coastline with about 40,000 tonnes of natural seaweed harvested in Ireland annually, estimated to be worth €18 million. In the last three decades, the discovery of metabolites with biological activities from macroalgae has increased significantly. The vast array of phytochemicals produced by seaweeds include those that exhibit antifungal and antibacterial properties. Such properties have been exploited by researchers in the search for novel antimicrobial compounds. However, there is also a significant requirement for the discovery of compounds active against phytopathogens arising from a multitude of concerns including: climate change, emergence of resistance against current treatments, controlling of invasive species and the negative effects associated with the use of synthetic pesticides. This study demonstrated that seaweeds represent a promising source of pesticidal compounds that are active against a range of fungal and bacterial plant pathogens, with potential biopesticide applications. This was the first report of seaweed extracts exhibiting activity against H. annosum s.s., and P. lanosa against the bacterial pathogen X. fragariae. A growing interest in biopesticides signifies a shift in the reliance on synthetic pesticides to a lower impact alternative.
Researchers: Dr Shikha Ojha (SETU)
This project focuses on novel technologies to optimise oats valorisation. Oats provide numerous documented health and nutritional benefits through their unique soluble fibres (beta glucan) and antioxidants (avenanthramides). Approximately 40% of the Irish crop (160,000 tonnes pa) is milled for human consumption, farm gate value is estimated to be around €40 million. Because oats have a high disease resistance and low fertilizer demand it is well suited for organic production, they have a low carbon footprint, and fit well with the Government’s policy of encouraging sustainable biodiversity. Irish Government policy is rapidly moving towards achieving a ‘circular economy’. Therefore, the project intends to be the first project to close the circle in the oat food chain, from Farm to Health. The project will create new value streams by valorising oat milling waste to produce beta-glucan, vanillin, and antioxidants, etc. The project aims to employ key platform extraction technologies with a proven track record to enhance extraction yield and are environment friendly.
Researchers: Dr James Humphreys (Teagasc), Dr David Styles (NUIG), Dr Imelda Casey (SETU)
The LoCAM-dairy project (2019R521) by the same team (2020-2024) showed that the C-arbon & AM-monia footprints of milk production can be lowered substantially (25%) without impacting on economic competitiveness using zero fertilizer N input to clover-based grassland. There is huge interest in this system. Fragmented farms systems will be studied and LoCAM will be applied and they will be compared with the existing LoCAM-2.4 system in which the entire farm area is available for grazing and production of silage. Both systems will have an overall stocking rate of 2.4 cows per ha and will receive no artificial fertilizer N. Economic performance, greenhouse gas and ammonia emissions and impact on water quality will be compared. The development of blueprints for low-emissions pasture-based dairy farming that delivers a competitive economic return to dairy farmers will result. A second study will quantify the impact of implementing these blueprints on 25 commercial dairy farms (LoCAM Dairy Farms). Data from farms will be used to quantify improvements in carbon and ammonia footprints and implications for economic performance. A third will investigate reseeding multispecies swards without use of herbicides or fertilizer N.
Researchers: Fatima Zahra (SETU), Dr Mike Kinsella (SETU), Prof Helen Hughes (SETU), Dr Shiau Pin (Graece) Tan (SETU)
Bioactive compounds from shellfish shell waste, currently ongoing PhD project. This project investigates the application of waste seashells derived from local shellfish processors as a source of bioactive molecules with significance in the food and environmental sectors. The marine environment is a diverse source of currently underutilised potential with resources such as seaweed, fish, and shells containing compounds with varying applications. Of particular interest is the shellfish sector, which generates a significant amount of waste shells that are of no commercial value currently but carry a cost of disposal. This research builds on current and previous PhD and FLAG (Fisheries Local Action Group) projects at SETU identifying the scale of this problem and seeks to extract compounds of high commercial value. Some examples of compounds present in shells include calcium carbonate, nacre, hydroxyapatite, chitin and chitosan. Given the scale of waste shells generated in Ireland annually, there is a strong need to develop environmental and economically sustainable processes to isolate these materials. High value bioactive compounds like hydroxyapatite and nacre have been reported to be present in certain shellfish shells. Due to their bioactivity, these compounds are an attractive target to isolate from shells to enable the conversion of current waste shells into a feedstock for biologically and pharmaceutically active compounds. Project outcomes are of direct significance to the fisheries/shellfish production industries and pharmaceutical companies and will further enable the development of a marine circular bioeconomy.
Researchers: Prof Helen Hughes (SETU), Dr Shiau Pin (Graece) Tan (SETU), Prof Peter McLoughlin (SETU)
A water extract from a seaweed harvested from the South-East coast has shown excellent efficacy against hospital and community acquired Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains. When incorporated into chitosan and hydrogel wound dressings, results showed similar performance to commercially available dressings with slow-release characteristics. This ensures that the dressing does not have to be changed too often, allowing the wound to heal. Projects have included: Extraction, isolation & identification of antimicrobial compounds from Irish seaweeds and their potential use in wound dressing, SAWd project: Seaweed Antimicrobial Wound dressing (Enterprise Ireland Commercialisation Funding), and Development of a novel, heat stable wound dressing using seaweed-derived antimicrobial compounds (Annabel Higgins-Hoare, PhD).