The EPA is responsible for coordinating environmental research in Ireland and facilitates this through the National Environmental Research Coordination Group (NERCG). The main purpose of the National Environmental Research Coordination Group (NERCG) is to provide a cross-sectoral, national forum for the strategic coordination of environmental research in Ireland.
The NERCG comprises relevant Public Organisations, including research funding organisations, policy making actors (i.e., Government Departments) and policy implementation actors (i.e., State Agencies). A full list of participating organisations is available on the NERCG Membership page.
The objectives for the National Environmental Research Coordination Group are to:
The NERCG typically meets twice per year and the Terms of Reference for the NERCG are available for download.
Any queries regarding the NERCG should be directed to research@epa.ie
The Environmental Research Coordination Groups have been reviewed on a number of occasions, with the consolidation of three groups in 2021 to form the NERCG. In 2023, the Terms of Reference and membership were updated. The Climate Research Coordination Group, which had been retained as a subgroup of the NERCG, was disbanded in 2023 and its activities subsumed into the NERCG, reflecting the broader importance of climate across all sectors.