EPA Awards Over €766,000 to TU Dublin Researchers for Sustainability and Resilience Projects
The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) has awarded researchers TU Dublin more than €766,000 in funding under its 2025 Research Call, funding three projects focused on climate action, infrastructure resilience and greener laboratory practices.
The EPA announced total national funding of €6.5 million for 24 projects addressing priority areas including climate change, the natural environment, the green and circular economy, and environment and human health. Several awards are co-funded with partners including Met Éireann and the Office of Public Works, reflecting the cross sectoral nature of the research.
Announcing the funding awards, Dr Eimear Cotter, EPA Deputy Director General said:
We face complex challenges in becoming a resilient, competitive and sustainable society. Research, such as that funded through the EPA Research Call, will play a vital role in supporting robust policy- and decision-making while ensuring the protection of our environment and climate. The projects announced today will support targeted, policy relevant research and build connections with policy-makers and practitioners, and ultimately support more effective action. I congratulate the successful teams and look forward to seeing the positive impacts of their work.
At TU Dublin, the successful projects will be led by Dr Swarna Jaiswal, Dr Arash Beiranvand and Dr Patrice Behan.
‘Reloop: System Design and Policy Roadmap for B2B and Trade Packaging in Ireland’- €164,852.13
Led by Dr Swarna Jaiswal, Lecturer and Principal Investigator in the School of Food Science and Environmental Health and Director of the Centre for Sustainable Packaging and Bioproducts (CSPB), ReLoop will design and test reusable packaging systems for Ireland’s business-to-business and trade sectors, with a particular focus on food and beverage distribution.
The project will examine how reusable crates, pallets and transport packaging can be integrated into existing logistics and return systems, analysing cost, hygiene, operational feasibility and environmental performance. Using real world data and lifecycle assessment, the research will compare single use and reusable models to identify where reuse delivers the greatest reductions in waste, carbon emissions and resource use.
ReLoop is directly aligned with the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation reuse targets for 2030 and 2040. It will produce evidence-based system designs, a national implementation toolkit for industry, and a strategic policy roadmap to support regulators and businesses in scaling reuse across supply chains. The project aims to reduce dependence on single use transport packaging while positioning Ireland as a frontrunner in circular packaging innovation and regulatory preparedness.
Speaking about ReLoop, Dr Jaiswal said:
ReLoop will provide Ireland with practical, scalable reuse models and a clear policy roadmap to accelerate the transition from single use to circular packaging systems across B2B and trade sectors.
The project is led by Dr Swarna Jaiswal at TU Dublin with Dr Amit Jaiswal, Dr Nikolaos Valantasis Kanellos, Prof. Jesus Frias, Dr Lucia Morales, and Mr. Fintan Moran.
‘INTEgrated GRID Resilience for Infrastructure Sustainability & Emergencies’ - €272,427.00
Dr Arash Beiranvand; Assistant Lecturer in the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, will lead INTEGRID-RISE, a project focused on the resilience of Ireland’s urban electricity distribution networks and their interaction with transport infrastructure under climate stress.
The research will develop a multilayered analytical framework to model how power grids and transport systems perform individually and together during extreme weather events such as flooding, heatwaves and severe storms. It will examine failure points, recovery times and cascading effects between systems, for example how power outages can disrupt transport or emergency response.
Using climate hazard scenarios and network modelling, the project will evaluate current infrastructure performance and identify where targeted upgrades would deliver the greatest resilience gains. The outputs will include evidence-based planning tools and strategic recommendations to inform future investment, network reinforcement and emergency preparedness for local authorities and utilities.
Commenting on the research, Dr Beiranvand said:
Climate hazards are placing increasing pressure on both our power networks and transport systems. This project will provide a rigorous, integrated way of assessing how these critical infrastructures perform under stress and how their interdependencies can amplify disruption. Our aim is to generate practical evidence that supports smarter planning and the development of more resilient, climate ready urban infrastructure in Ireland.
The INTEGRID-RISE team includes Dr Malabika Basu (TU Dublin), Prof. Brian Caulfield & Dr Abhilash Chandra Singh (Trinity College Dublin)
‘GRAMS: Greening of Regulated Analytical chemistry Methods using the existing regulated State Laboratory’ - €328,783.36
Dr Patrice Behan; Head of Postgraduate Education in the School of Chemical and BioPharmaceutical Sciences, will lead the GRAMS project, which seeks to embed green chemistry principles into regulatory analytical testing. At the core of the project is the Green Analytical Chemistry paradigm, which promotes safer solvents, reduced energy use, lower waste generation, and more efficient analytical techniques. Working in partnership with the State Laboratory, the team will review the environmental impacts of commonly used analytical chemistry methods, redesign ISO17025-accredited procedures to align with green chemistry principles and quantify the environmental footprint of regulatory testing through lifecycle assessment.
The State Laboratory will act as a national testbed for the project, enabling the validation of greener analytical methods without compromising accuracy or legal defensibility. The project will seek independent accreditation for redesigned methods and will produce practical guidelines for laboratories on how to implement greener practices within existing regulatory frameworks.
The work will also support national and EU policy goals under the European Green Deal and the EU Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability, while contributing to international initiatives such as the US EPA’s Greener Products programme. Capacity building and sector wide engagement will be promoted through networks including EURACHEM, Eurolab, Irish Green Labs and the Public Sector Laboratory Group.
Discussing the project, Dr Behan said:
This project represents a pivotal step in demonstrating that high-quality regulatory analytical chemistry analysis and environmental stewardship can go hand in hand. By modernising our methods and sharing a clear framework for greener practices, we aim to support regulatory laboratories across Ireland and Europe in reducing their environmental impact while maintaining the highest standards of analytical excellence.
The GRAMS team includes Dr Shane O’Reilly, Dr Eoin McGillicuddy and Sarah Maher (TU Dublin), Dr Helen Cantwell and Michael Butler (State Laboratory), and Dr John Warner.
The EPA said its 2025 funding round reflects the need for cross-sectoral research to inform public policy and practical implementation, with projects addressing climate change, the natural environment, the green and circular economy, and environment and human health.