Successful EC - European Regional Development Fund and UCD project entitled ACCLIMATIZE

A €6.7 million EU-backed initiative to combat the effects of pollution on bathing waters in Wales and Ireland has been announced by Paschal Donohoe TD, Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform and Welsh Finance Secretary Mark Drakeford AM.  The Acclimatize project will focus on bathing waters in Dublin Bay and Cemaes Bay in Anglesey and develop models that integrate urban and rural catchments with these coastal waters to better assess the effects on water quality from climate change and the altered weather patterns and sea level changes that are predicted.  The project has been backed by the EU’s Ireland-Wales cooperation programme and will use and develop a range of technologies, including smart real?time predictive tools to monitor water quality to protect human health and the marine environment.  The Acclimatize project will help to improve the quality of sea shores in both countries, helping to boost tourism and supporting marine activities, including shellfish harvesting.  Paschal Donohoe TD, Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, said: “The Acclimatize project represents an important contribution to enhancing the quality and economic sustainability of the shared resource that is the Irish Sea. It is encouraging to see such EU-funded cross-border projects continuing.  The Irish Government is committed to the continued implementation of the Ireland Wales programme.”

The Acclimatize project is being led by a University College Dublin (UCD) team (Professor Wim Meijer (Project Coordinator), UCD School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science, Dr. John O’Sullivan, UCD School of Civil Engineering and Professor Gregory O’Hare, UCD School of Computer Science), in partnership with Aberystwyth University.