Forest Sector Development Division
Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine
Call for grant–aid proposals to support national and EU-level initiatives and work processes related to forest products and standards, in particular the characterisation of the wood and strength properties of Sitka spruce and other designated Irish conifer species
Overall background
The purpose of grant aid provided by Forest Sector Development Division of the Department of the Agriculture, Food and the Marine is to support the overall development of the forest sector in Ireland. Grant aid is normally provided as part funding for work undertaken by not-for-profit organisations and groups. Results of the work undertaken must be made available in the public domain. Grant aid is not intended as a direct support for innovation or marketing being undertaken by individual businesses or other enterprises. If intellectual property arises from the work the ownership will reside with the grantee in accordance with Government policy.
Outline of call
Roundwood production in Ireland is forecast to double from the current 3.2 million cubic metres to over 6 million cubic metres over the next two decades[1]. One of the key challenges facing the forest sector is to mobilise this resource to market, and to ensure that the material is fit for market by being well characterised as evidence of structural performance. Additionally the climate change mitigation challenge implies a wider use of wood products in the built environment and elsewhere. This means providing evidence and expertise related to performance and specification of timber and wood-based building systems, particularly to the regulatory authorities.
Existing information on Irish timber properties
The characteristic properties of Irish spruce and other species are contained in a database[2] based on testing in the Study 2 project, carried out in the 1980s and 1990s by the IIRS (Institute for Industrial Research and Standards) and successor organisations. The work, funded by the Forest Service, has provided the evidence to allow structural use of Irish spruce timber. It has enabled a link to be made between Irish and UK spruce timber and both countries accept that there is no significant strength difference between the two timbers. This has aided the export of Irish timber to the UK, which has become a key market for the sawmill sector.
Need for further work on Irish timber properties
There remains a need to review the extent and type of information available in Ireland on the characteristic properties of wood being grown here. This assessment will guide the response to work underway under the auspices of CEN/TC 124 “Timber Structures” and in particular WG2 “Solid timber” which has produced standards covering strength grading including EN 14081 (Timber structures – Strength graded structural timber with rectangular cross section – Parts 1-3) which also relates to machine strength grading and production control.
Periodic assessment of strength and other properties is also required to determine if the properties will enable the current high level of level of structural timber recovery from sawlogs to continue, and to provide other data in a form that will provide the basis for the assessment of forestry practice regarding forest genetic material and silviculture, and product assessment and development. The main emphasis will be on Sitka spruce. Limited work to characterise the physical properties of lodgepole pine (south coastal provenance) Norway spruce, Japanese larch, Douglas fir and Scots pine is needed, sufficient to enable these species to be used in non-bending type machine grading in order to conform to EN 14081 Part1 as structural timber.
Link to UK work
There is also the need to work to maintain the link between UK and Irish timber based on independent evidence. Work on the UK resource characterisation is carried out at the Centre for Wood Science and Technology, under the SIRT (Strategic Integrated Research in Timber) network, which ‘works with industry and the public sector to increase knowledge of the properties of UK-grown timber, maximising its use in higher value markets (especially structural timber and other construction products)’ - see http://www.napier.ac.uk/about-us/our-schools/school-of-engineering-and-the-built-environment/institute-for-sustainable-construction/expert-centres/centre-for-wood-science-and-technology
Overall objective and structure of work programme
The overall objective is to contribute to the development of timber testing and related expertise, and to extend the use of wood products in the built environment and elsewhere. The grant aid will extend over a period of three years to support a scientist/engineer at post doctoral or similar level.
The person(s) recruited by the body undertaking the work should have knowledge of timber testing procedures and the general assessment of wood characteristics, and would be expected to participate in the timber standards area at European level. There is also the possibility to support a suitably qualified person to work with other third level institutes on specific timber strength and other properties.
Grant aid award criteria
· Level of expertise and understanding in the applying body of issues related to current and future uses of Irish timber
· Cost of the proposal
· Access to timber testing equipment and facilities.
Conditions of grant aid
1. A full statement of expenditure with vouched expenditure and a report of the work undertaken will be required for the payment of any grant. The report as submitted will be available in the public domain.
2. Grant aid support of the Department of Agriculture Food and the Marine must be acknowledged in any publicity associated with the project, in any written documentation or any other communications. When making an application please fully complete the information requested and send it to the address below, accompanied by a current tax clearance certificate.
3. Grantees should be aware that they have an obligation to make books and accounts available to the Comptroller and Auditor General, where 50 per cent or more of their total income is sourced from Exchequer Funds (including but not limited to grant aid from Forest Sector Development/COFORD Division, Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine). In addition, the grantor has the right to inspect the grantee’s records.
4. Grants will be paid based on vouched expenditure. Grantees making claims for grant funding on the basis of vouched expenditure are required to state that:
· the invoices used to support their claims relate to activities and services appropriate to the grant scheme objectives,
· the amounts invoiced have been paid or drawn down,
· the invoices have not and will not be used in support of another claim for reimbursement from any other funder(s) (except as provided for in agreed joint-funding arrangements).
5. In the event of any overpayment of a grant, a full refund will be required and must be made within 30 days of the any demand.
6. The accounting system and organisational arrangements of the grantee must be adequate, to ensure the proper administration of the funding.
7. Where funding is being provided as part of a co-funding arrangement, grantees are required to provide annually, as a condition of grant, a declaration as to the source, amount and purpose of all other funding they receive and a declaration that there will be no duplication of funding for the same activity/project. This declaration should also state if the Exchequer funding from all sources exceeds 50% of total income.
8. If it is the intention of the grantee to make onward grants from the funding received, details of these onward grants and their recipients/proposed recipients must be provided along with details of the terms and conditions applying to these onward payments.
9. Grantees shall not dispose of publicly funded assets without the prior approval Forest Sector Development Division.
10. Following the award of grant aid, any changes in the programme must be agreed with Forest Sector Development Division in advance of such changes.
11. If the work programme falls behind or the Grantee finds that it cannot complete any or all aspects of the programme, it shall notify Forest Sector Development Division immediately. Failure to notify in a timely manner may result in loss of grant aid.
12. In the event of significant delays or failure to complete any part of the programme may result in the loss of any or all of the grant aid.
Submission of proposals
Proposals should be submitted by email or by post, by close of business on Friday the 17 February 2017.
email:
post:
Ms Orla Cashen
Forest Sector Development/COFORD Division
Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
3 West Agriculture House
Kildare Street
Dublin 2
Grant aid application form
Applicant
Name
Address
Phone no
Objective of the proposal (max 50 words)
Description of the work proposed and how it will contribute to the purpose of the call for proposals (max 1000 words)
Costs
Is aid being sought from any other third party for the work ?
Yes No
If yes please provide the name and address of the third party (ies) here and the amount being provided or requested in the costings table below.
Third party funding (provide the name and address of each third party)
Name
Address
Costings table
Provide a breakdown of all costs involved in the proposal and the names and qualifications of persons who will be carrying out the work. Include travel and subsistence, if applicable, materials (including details of individual items), and any other costs. Please sign and date the costings. Additional documentation or clarification may be provided in a spreadsheet. Consortia involving two or more third level or state research institutions may submit a proposal. Industry involvement is welcomed but will not qualify for grant aid.
Forest Sector Development Division may require additional information to support claims for payments. Overhead costs are not normally payable. VAT is not charged, except where incurred as part of the third party service to the work.
Any work to be carried out by a third party must be detailed here. Tax clearance certificates must be provided to Forest Sector Development Division before third parties begin work.
Grant aid can be provided to cover the full marginal cost of the proposal.
Cost category / Proposed sources of fundingOwn resources / Other third party sources / Grant aid requested / Total
€
Materials
[3]Time
Person 1
Person 2 ...
Travel and subsistence
Other (please specify)
Total
I have read and agree to the conditions of grant aid
Signature of applicant
Date
1
[1] Phillips, H., et al. All Ireland Roundwood Production Forecast. 2016-2035. COFORD, Dublin. Available at www.coford.ie.
[2] Available from Forest Sector Development/COFORD Division, Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
[3] Daily rates must be provided for each person.