A transformative, new research programme has today (Tuesday 28 November) been announced in Dublin today by the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Simon Harris TD along with Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology Michelle Donelan and Permanent Secretary at Northern Ireland’s Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, Katrina Godfrey.

This new co-centre will bring together world-leading researchers from institutions across Ireland and the UK for the first time, with research expertise in specific areas that are core to food system transformation including food safety, production, nutrition, plant and animal science, behavioural change, data science, food system governance, and the political process of food system transformation.

Through cutting-edge research and working closely with government and industry, the interdisciplinary research team will deliver innovative solutions to drive societal and political change in the transition to climate neutrality by 2050.

Delivering on the four missions of the Irish Government’s Food Vision 2030, and the six priorities within the Northern Ireland Food Strategy Framework, the co-centre will develop innovative solutions to accelerate radical transitions towards a more environmentally and economically sustainable and transparent agri-food sector.

The co-centre is funded by Science Foundation Ireland (SFI), UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) and industry. It will be managed jointly by Queen’s University Belfast and University College Dublin (UCD), working closely with the University of Sheffield which will lead on the integrated UKRI research programme.

The interdisciplinary team will create a vibrant, sustainable co-centre leading the way in transforming food systems, and delivering economic and environmental benefits to society. It will transform existing food systems, impacting everything from production to policy and from health to society through its research and outreach activities.

Welcoming today’s announcement, Professor Eileen Gibney, Co-Director of the co-centre and Director of UCD Institute of Food and Health at University College Dublin said,

“This co-centre will play an important role in transforming our food system to be more resilient, healthy, and sustainable across these islands. The co-centre will drive change in the way we produce and consume food, addressing economic, social, and environmental problems to ensure safe nutritious food for all. We need to consider the challenges we face now and, in the future, and provide solutions that will work for us all.”

Professor Aedín Cassidy, Co-Director of the co-centre and Director for Interdisciplinary Research at the Institute for Global Food Security at Queen’s University Belfast, said:

“This is an exciting announcement and has come at a crucial time with our existing food systems facing a wide range of challenges. In today’s society, a tenth of our population is undernourished while 25% are overweight, with over a third of the world’s population unable afford to eat a healthy diet. Add to this, our food supplies are disrupted by heatwaves, floods, drought and conflict. This funding announcement and the new co-centre it creates, will allow us to do the research needed to address these issues and to develop and test strategies to ensure a safe, transparent, sustainable, resilient food system and enhance the evidence base to realise the transition to healthy diets from sustainable sources.”

Professor Louise Dye, lead of the integrated UKRI research programme, and Co-Director of the Institute for Sustainable Food at the University of Sheffield, added:

“We need to act now to ensure that we develop a robust, resilient and sustainable food system that provides access to healthy, affordable, nutritious food for all. The co-centre draws on a huge breadth of expertise from across the three jurisdictions in a transformative interdisciplinary collaboration which will take a one health approach to nutrition security, supported by UKRI from soil to human health. The co-centre will accelerate the transition towards a more environmentally and economically sustainable, transparent agri-food sector which provides healthy food for all.  The co-centre will also provide training, education and experiential events to inform the public, academics, industry, policy makers and others about food systems transformation.”

UCD is also part of a newly launched, highly ambitious €41.3 million research centre – the Climate + Biodiversity and Water Co-Centre – which will be the home of research, innovation, and policy development across the interlinked challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss, and water degradation on the islands of Ireland and Britain. Read more about this new Centre here.