Top-class Irish research awarded through the Met Éireann Research Call 2024
Thursday 14th August 2025: Met Éireann has announced that it is awarding €2.8 million in funding to six new university research projects to further develop climate services and new flood forecasting models.
The awards are being made via the Met Éireann Research Call 2024 to innovative projects aimed at addressing climate change, extreme weather events and environmental sustainability. Met Éireann’s ‘Weather and Climate Research Programme’ aims to strengthen national research capacity and scientific expertise in weather and climate, through high-impact projects.
The Met Éireann Research Call 2024 awarded projects are:
| Research area | Project Name | Recipient institution | Project Lead | Awarded Amount |
| Climate Services – ‘TRANSLATE’ |
T3UD: TRANSLATE-3: Underpinning Data
|
University of Galway | Dr. Paul Nolan | €599,992 |
|
BRACE: Building Resilience and Adaptation Capacity for future extreme Events
|
University College Cork | Dr. Paraic Ryan | €599,981 | |
|
EXACT: EXtremes Across Climates and Timeframes
|
Maynooth University | Prof. Conor Murphy | €599,704 | |
|
CLIMB: CLImate services for Multi-sector Benefits
|
University College Cork | Dr. Paul Holloway | €299,392 | |
|
ClimEnergise: Climate-Informed Energy Systems Planning to Support Ireland’s Net Zero Ambitions
|
University College Cork | Dr. Vahid Aryanpur | €299,546 | |
| Flood forecasting |
IMUFF: Integrated MUlti-model multi-hazard Flood Forecasting
|
University of Galway | Dr. Indiana Olbert | €399,976 |
Research projects awarded under the Met Éireann’s ‘TRANSLATE’ climate flagship programme will continue this Met Éireann-led initiative to optimise standardised climate projections for Ireland. The projects will expand our knowledge and understanding of climate change impacts into the annual to decadal timeframe. They will explore the nature of how extreme events are changing and will develop services that support adaptation and decision-making for greater climate resilience in Ireland. The flood forecasting research project is aimed at improving our understanding of the interaction between river discharge, tide and storm surge, providing valuable insights on flood risk.
Met Éireann plays a crucial role in advancing the scientific understanding of weather, climate, flooding, and environmental systems, at national and international level. On the awarding of the funding, Eoin Moran, Director of Met Éireann, said:
“On behalf of Met Éireann, I extend my sincere congratulations to University College Cork, Maynooth University and University of Galway. We look forward to the significant advancements each institution will contribute to our collective understanding of weather, climate, and environmental systems. These research projects represent critical contributions to both national and international efforts to address climate change, extreme weather, and environmental sustainability. As a proud supporter of innovative research, Met Éireann is committed to ongoing exploration that supports adaptive responses and strategic planning for improved climate resilience.”
Professor John Cryan, Vice President for Research and Innovation at University College Cork said: “We are immensely proud of our researchers at UCC who will lead half of the research projects announced today by Met Éireann, and we are grateful to Met Éireann for their continued support in funding research that is critical to finding innovative solutions to better prepare and protect people in the event of extreme weather and climate related events. These awards will further strengthen UCC’s global leadership in sustainability research and deliver significant positive societal impact while also addressing key environmental challenges.”
Professor Lokesh Joshi, Interim Vice-President for Research and Innovation at the University of Galway, said: “We are delighted that two projects, led by Dr Paul Nolan and Dr Indiana Olbert, have been selected for funding under Met Éireann’s research programme. These awards recognise the strength of University of Galway’s research in vital areas such as delivering advanced climate projections and improving flood forecasting. Together, these projects will help deliver real benefits to communities in Ireland as we face more extreme weather events and a changing climate.”
Professor Rachel Msetfi, Vice President for Research and Innovation at Maynooth University said: “At Maynooth University, we are committed to advancing sustainability and responding to the global climate crisis through excellent and impactful research. The EXACT project exemplifies this mission — combining the leadership and expertise of Professor Conor Murphy with the strengths of an interdisciplinary team across climate science and business. This work will generate critical insights into how climate extremes are evolving and how Ireland can adapt. We are proud to support research that is both scientifically rigorous and deeply relevant to society.”
The Met Éireann Weather and Climate Research Programme was launched in 2018, initially through co-funding partnerships with other research funding organisations. With the Research Call 2024, Met Éireann’s Research Call Scheme enters its fourth round, having already directly funded €10.3 million in research across Irish academic institutions. With nearly 80% of applications submitted by researchers new to the Weather and Climate Research Programme in 2024 Met Éireann welcomes the growing reach of the Programme and the increased number of active researchers in weather and climate science in Ireland.