New interdisciplinary project funded under Strategic Priority scheme

We are delighted to announce a new project funded through our Strategic Priority Support Mechanism (SPSM) call. The SPSM encourages interdisciplinary activity across the Earth Institute, UCD, and beyond, across environmental, climate and sustainability research and related disciplines.

The Rural Pact Ireland Framework project is led by Karen Keaveney from the School of Agriculture and Food Science. It will develop a framework for Ireland's engagement with the European Rural Pact. Aligning national rural development with the EU's Long Term Vision for Rural Areas, this initiative focuses on critical foundational work to support collaboration across society, policy and academia. Working closely with the Rural Pact Support Office in Brussels, the project will map existing Irish rural policies, alongside stakeholder  engagement aiming to synthesise findings to produce a ‘Rural Pact Ireland Framework’ outlining governance, collaborative mechanisms, and thematic priorities for an Irish Rural Pact. It will culminate in a final report, providing recommendations for  implementation and research collaborations. 

The project team also includes Orla Murphy from the School of Architecture, Planning and Environmental Policy, Victoria Durrer from Art History and Cultural Policy, Orla Leyden and Adwoa Ofori from Agriculture and Food Science and Gabriel O’Connell, Ireland's country contact/expert for the Rural Pact. Karen and some of her team will present at the coffee morning on 16 October (10:45, Earth Institute Kitchen). We welcome involvement in the project from interested researchers, so do join us if you see any intersection with your work or interests. 

Our Strategic Priority funding is key to how we support new emerging research areas so congratulations to all involved and we look forward to working with Karen and her team on the development of the project. The next call will open in early 2026 - you can read about what we fund on our website and if you’d like to discuss a potential application, please contact our research manager (opens in a new window)caitriona.devery@ucd.ie.