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Industry and third level to benefit from targeted funding for geoscience research projects, from UAV mapping to landslide modelling and clean drinking water.

It was announced today that the Government will provide €1m funding for 41 small scale geoscience research projects in 2016.
The projects have been funded by the Geological Survey of Ireland in the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources as part of the 2015/2016 GSI Geoscience Research Short Call, and will be of less than one year in duration.
“We ae funding a very wide range of applied projects, from using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles for coastal mapping to landslide monitoring and 3D modelling of shipwrecks. We also have projects on groundwater drinking supplies, recycling of mine waste, geotourism, geothermal energy and seismicity in Ireland. The outputs of these projects will go a long way to help the country understand and manage its often hidden natural resources. The short turnaround of these projects will also mean the impacts for society will occur quickly. The standard and quality of the applications received have proven that Irish geoscience researchers, both in industry and third level can compete at the highest level and can directly support geoscience industries in Ireland” said Mr Koen Verbruggen, Director of the Geological Survey of Ireland.
The research programme will complement substantial recent Government investments in this area such as the Irish Centre for Research in Applied Geoscience (iCRAG), co-funded by SFI and industry partners.
On release of the details of the successful awardees, GSI Research Manager Dr Aoife Braiden said “By making the funding available to both SME and academic partners, we have seen an increase in participation from industry in research activities and a welcomed increase in collaborations between the public and private sector in terms of geoscience research. We hope that funding such as this will help to grow and strengthen the valuable geoscience sector in Ireland and answer real problems for both industry and the relevant authorities”.
37% of applications were from SMEs, 54% from Universities and 9% from other organisations. 29% of applications related to the Tellus programme (www.tellus.ie ), 29% to the INFOMAR programme (www.infomar.ie ) and 32% to other geoscience topics including energy, minerals and raw materials, groundwater, geotourism, public perception and geological mapping.
Details of the projects receiving funding (attached) can also be found on the Geological Survey of Ireland’s website at www.gs.i.e/research

ENDS

Note to Editors
www.gsi.ie
For further information contact Dr Aoife Braiden, Research Manager, GSI aoife.braiden@gsi.ie 
For further information about iCRAG, see www.icrag-centre.org

Project title Lead Applicant Host organisation
Determining fractured bedrock aquifer parameters using magnetic resonance sounding to better constrain numerical groundwater models in support of catchment scale water resource management Ulrich Ofterdinger QUB
Spatially constrained Bayesian inversion of frequency- and time-domain airborne electromagnetic data from the Tellus projects Volker Rath DIAS
Analysis and monitoring strategy of Irish Landslides Paul Doherty GDG Geosolutions Ltd
3D geological map of the pre-glacial trench central Dublin Mike Long UCD
GEOCOAST guide to the Wild Atlantic Way (A guide to coastal geology and landscapes of the Wild Atlantic Way) Maxim Kozachenko Geocoast Research Centre Ltd
Development of a coastal infrastructure GIS (open source) Maxim Kozachenko Geocoast Research Centre Ltd
Integrated geological-geophysical model for stratiform Zn-Pb exploration Tom Davitt PGW Europe Ltd
Irish sea suitability mapping for novel offshore foundations Mark Coughlan Gaelectric
Natural, man-made and induced seismicity of Ireland: discrimination and hazard Pierre Arroucau DIAS
Developing a rapid, low-cost bathymetric survey methodology using multiresolution imagery Conor Cahalane NUIM
Characterisation of stable isotope fractionations during reactive transport of phosphate in groundwater discharging to a groundwater fed lake (Lough Gur, Co. Limerick) Laurence Gill TCD
Linking sources of contamination of groundwater resources with naturally occurring arsenic in metasedimentary rock in Ireland Liam Morrison NUI, Galway
Linking sedimentary architecture and sediment sources in the NW Carboniferous Basin Shane Tyrrell NUI, Galway
Irish soil thermal properties project Riccardo Pasquali Terra Geoserv Ltd
UAV for intertidal and coastal zone mapping feasibility study Ronan O’Toole Greenlight Surveys Ltd
Development of a coastal infrastructure web GIS with remote sensing focus Gearoid O’Riain Compass Infomatics Ltd
A hydrography training program demonstrator James Riordan SonarSim Ltd
Feasibility of offshore energy converters in Irish Sea Luke Prendergast UCD
Frequency of slope collapses on Rockall Bank and mechanical characterisation of the sediments Aggiliki Georgiopoulou UCD
Quantifying coastal evolution along Donegal Bay system using remote sensing approaches Colman Gallagher UCD
Using Tellus electromagnetic and geochemical datasets to improve soil mapping in Ireland Mark Holdstock Aurum Exploration Services
Coastal modelling through low-cost video-based photogrammetry Debra Laefer UCD
Production of a handbook of karst for Irish hydrogeologists Coran Kelly Tobin Consulting Engineering
An all-Ireland quaternary map Mark Cooper GSNI
Characterisation of mining waste Mark Holdstock Aurum Exploration Services
The geochemistry of Waterford Copper Coast mineralisation Giulio Solferino UCC
Unmanned surface vehicle for inshore bathymetric survey Dan Toal UL
Semi-autonomous UAV landing in challenging conditions Dan Toal UL
All-Ireland karst features dataset Kirstin Lemon GSNI
Deposition and accumulation of microplastics and pollutants in marine sediments from the Irish continental shelf Audrey Morley QUB
Mineral prospectivity; analysis utilising publically available datasets and free & open source software Mark Holdstock Aurum Exploration Services
Assessing marine and anthropogenic influences on the terrestrial biosphere strontium isotope budget Quentin Crowley TCD
Investigation of Ireland's coastal platforms: location, type and coastal protection Mary Bourke TCD
u-TOPS: microscale toolbox and protocols for sulphides studies Damaris Fernandez TCD
Geochemical anomaly detection: spatial analysis for improved use of geochemical data Derek Reay GSNI
3D simulation of Ireland 'Ancient East' marine environment Gavin Duffy RealSim Games Ltd
Integrated interpretation and modelling of Tellus aeromagnetic, gravity, radiometric and mulstispectral analysis of satellite imagery datasets for exploration and identification of deep geothermal target areas in the midland valley terrane (DeepGeo) Riccardo Pasquali Terra Geoserv Ltd
Past and modern environments of Galway Bay (GB-ENV) Sara Benetti UU
Development of integrated protocols for the rapid mapping and assessment of metal contamination in intertidal and supratidal environments Helen Roe QUB
Innovative approaches to identifying and mapping coastal landslides Mary Bourke TCD
Mapping the spatial and temporal variations of water quality in Dublin Bay Dermot Diamond DCU