Funding of €500,000 has been announced to support Ireland's participation in an international research call on Cultural Heritage and Climate.

Cultural heritage is vulnerable to climate change but also can play an active role in the transition towards a more sustainable and resilient future. The research funding call aims to mobilise researchers across Europe and more widely to engage in collaborative research projects that will address three complementary themes:

• The Impact of Climate Change on Cultural Heritage;

• Cultural Heritage as a Resource for Climate Mitigation and Adaptation;

• Sustainable Solutions for Cultural Heritage.

A total of €500,000 will be made available to the research community in Ireland to participate in successful projects, with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and the EPA each providing €250,000.

Announcing the funding, Minister of State for Heritage and Electoral Reform, Malcolm Noonan TD, said: "We are delighted to partner with the EPA on this important international research call. Collaboration is essential in addressing the urgent challenges that climate change poses to our cultural heritage.

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"Ireland will continue to play its part in international efforts to address this and our funding of €250,000 to this research call is a sign of our commitment. We see this support as aligning with excellent progress we have made in implementing our Climate Change Sectoral Adaption Plan for Built and Archaeological Heritage, one of the first such plans to be developed anywhere in the world. No-one stands alone in meeting the challenges our heritage faces, joint efforts are essential, and we are proud to be able to build the necessary partnerships through this support."

Dr. Eimear Cotter, Director of Evidence and Assessment at the EPA, said: "Cultural heritage is increasingly recognised as an essential part of the dialogue on climate change. The EPA, together with DHLGH, is delighted to support the participation of the Irish research community in this opportunity, which will fund projects to build international partnerships and generate knowledge relevant to addressing climate change."

This research funding call is jointly organised between the Joint Programming Initiatives Cultural Heritage and Global Change (JPI CH) and Connecting Climate Knowledge for Europe (JPI Climate) and the Belmont Forum. The EPA represents Ireland in JPI Climate and will lead on Ireland's participation in the call.

Overall, more than €15m funding is available under the research call through international partners in Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland, Spain, Thailand, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States.