Met Éireann has announced €2.8 million in funding for six new university research projects aimed at advancing climate services and developing improved flood forecasting models. These awards, made through the Met Éireann Research Call 2024, target innovative initiatives addressing climate change, extreme weather events, and environmental sustainability. The research forms part of Met Éireann’s Weather and Climate Research Programme, which seeks to enhance national scientific capacity and expertise in weather and climate through high-impact projects. Under the TRANSLATE climate flagship programme, the funded projects will optimize standardized climate projections for Ireland, investigate changes in extreme events, and develop tools to support adaptation and decision-making for greater climate resilience. The flood forecasting project specifically aims to improve understanding of interactions between river discharge, tides, and storm surges to provide valuable insights into flood risks.
Met Éireann plays a key role in advancing the scientific understanding of weather, climate, flooding, and environmental systems at both national and international levels. Eoin Moran, Director of Met Éireann, highlighted the importance of these research initiatives, congratulating University College Cork, Maynooth University, and the University of Galway on their contributions. He emphasized that the projects will enhance collective knowledge of environmental systems and support adaptive responses and strategic planning to improve climate resilience.
University leaders expressed pride and enthusiasm for the funded projects. Professor John Cryan of University College Cork noted that UCC will lead half of the new research projects, strengthening its global leadership in sustainability research and delivering societal benefits in preparing for extreme weather and climate-related events. Professor Lokesh Joshi of the University of Galway highlighted the importance of the projects led by Dr. Paul Nolan and Dr. Indiana Olbert in improving climate projections and flood forecasting to benefit Irish communities. Professor Rachel Msetfi of Maynooth University underscored the EXACT project’s role in generating critical insights into evolving climate extremes and informing adaptation strategies in Ireland.
Launched in 2018, the Met Éireann Weather and Climate Research Programme has grown through co-funding partnerships and is now in its fourth round with the Research Call 2024. The programme has already directly funded €10.3 million in research across Irish universities, with nearly 80% of applications in 2024 submitted by researchers new to the programme. This reflects both the increasing reach of the initiative and the growing number of active researchers contributing to weather and climate science in Ireland.
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