The Minister for Natural Resources Fergus O'Dowd has announced a €250,000 environmental research call that will allow for contracts for up to 10 researchers in the geosciences area over the next year.

The Minister is this opening a two-day conference in Dublin Castle that will look at the contribution that geoscience makes here in Ireland.

The programme will be focus on safe cities and the contribution of geoscience in the urban environment. It is being hosted by the Royal Irish Academy (RIA), the Geological Survey of Ireland (GSI) and the Geological Survey of Northern Ireland.

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The programme will examine flooding, subsidence, landslides, the challenges of tunnelling, contaminated land and 3D modelling of subsurface geology in case-studies of cities in Ireland, the UK and across Europe.

"Geoscientists contribute to a better understanding of city environments, where wise use of human and natural resources is vital to reduce risk, protect and enhance quality of life," said the Minister ahead of the launch of the conference.

On Thursday the conference programme will focus on the creation of jobs from geoscience research. The conference will showcase GSI's collaborative projects, Tellus Border and INFOMAR. It will also look at how GSI is creating jobs through its geoscience initiatives programme.

(CD/GK)