Research Ireland and Gas Networks Ireland Announce Collaboration Agreement

Research Ireland, Ireland’s competitive research and innovation agency, and Gas Networks Ireland, operator of the national gas network, have today formally launched a new €2.7 million research and innovation challenge to drive pioneering, STEM-led solutions that will support Ireland’s transition to a low-carbon energy future.

The ‘Research Ireland – Gas Networks Ireland Innovation Challenge’ invites multidisciplinary research teams to develop breakthrough technologies in renewable gas, energy system integration and artificial intelligence. The challenge fund will support transformative innovations with the potential to decarbonise the national gas network and contribute to climate action targets.

This joint initiative, co-funded by Research Ireland and by Gas Networks Ireland through its Gas Innovation Fund, is a phased funding programme. Successful teams from eligible research bodies in Ireland will be awarded up to €200,000 and will work through a series of phases to develop their idea. An overall prize award of €1 million will be available to the team that demonstrates the highest potential for transformative impact. The prize will enable the winning team to generate high-impact research and accelerate the development of sustainable energy technologies.

The structure of the Programme is based on the Research Ireland Future Innovator Prize Sustainable Development Goals Challenge Programme, and will comprise three phases:

—  Concept (six months’ duration, with successful teams securing up to €50,000)
—  Seed (12 months’ duration, with teams securing up to €150,000), and:
—  Prize (up to 24 months, with teams completing for an overall prize of €1 million).

Welcoming the announcement, Interim CEO at Research Ireland, Celine Fitzgerald, commented:

“We are delighted to be forging a partnership with Gas Networks Ireland on matters of such importance to our country and, indeed, our planet. Both agencies recognise the importance of decarbonisation of Ireland’s gas network. The Research Ireland – Gas Networks Ireland Innovation Challenge 2025 will support research projects that have potential to generate STEM-based solutions for utilisation by the renewable gas industry, giving rise to national impact in the journey to achieve carbon neutrality.

“We look forward to working in partnership with Gas Networks Ireland, and to seeing the outcomes stemming from our co-funded investment in Ireland’s brightest research talent.”

Commenting on the collaboration agreement, Chief Operations Officer at Gas Networks Ireland, Bobby Gleeson, stated:

“This landmark collaboration aligns with Ireland’s national climate ambitions and our strategy to transition to a net zero gas network by 2045”.

“The Innovation Challenge is a powerful example of how targeted research can support national priorities – from climate action to economic development and will help enable the best minds in Irish research to develop practical, scalable solutions for integrating renewable gases and intelligent technologies into our energy infrastructure. This is a significant investment in the future of Ireland’s energy system – and in the talent that will help shape it.”

The Research Ireland – Gas Networks Ireland Innovation Challenge has two overarching challenge themes to guide the collaborative engagement and research activity under this programme call, namely:

1. The Energy System Integration Challenge: This seeks to support the development of solutions to accelerate the optimisation and integration of the energy system in Ireland’s transition to a low-carbon economy. There are two broad themes under this Challenge: (a) the integration of renewable gases at a local and regional level; and (b) the development of Artificial Intelligence-based solutions for intelligent gas network performance diagnostics.

2. The Biomethane and Biohydrogen Challenge will seek to support the development of solutions which improve the efficiency, efficacy and commercial viability of (1) biomethane and (2) biohydrogen production, including extraction and utilisation of the byproducts.

The call for applications is now open to eligible research teams across Ireland. Full details are available here: Research Ireland Gas Networks Ireland Innovation Challenge – Research Ireland.