A Stormont department has awarded £450,000 to five groups tasked with stopping the spread of a toxic algae in Lough Neagh and other waterways.
The funding from the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) is to develop proofs of concept on potential solutions to treat, reduce and suppress the growth of blue green algae.
Last month, DAERA minister Andrew Muir launched the first phase of the Lough Neagh: Blue Green Algae Small Business Research Initiative, to find ways of reducing the algae blooms without impacting the environment.
With DAERA contributing £200,000 and the rest from the Department of the Economy, the competition was said to have attracted considerable national and international interest - with almost 200 initial expressions of interest, 53 bids from which five successful applicants were picked.
The groups will now develop proofs of concept in several areas including the use of ultrasonics, mechanical and biological treatment.
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Mr Muir said this was just one element of his 37-point action plan to improve water quality in Lough Neagh.
“There is a significant amount of work to do to restore the lough and enhance water quality throughout Northern Ireland,” he said.
“This will take both time and resources. Water quality issues at Lough Neagh and elsewhere were decades in the making and will take decades to fix. It is my vision to have a healthy, resilient environment with high water quality status and I am firmly committed to take the necessary action to make a difference to our waterways.”
The five successful suppliers awarded contracts are; Clear Water Systems Ltd, Helix8 Ltd, Queen’s University Belfast, Varicon Aqua Solutions Ltd and Wholeschool Software Ltd (Biild).
Economy minister Conor Murphy added: “My department’s SBRI Challenge Fund supports innovative solutions to complex challenges such as that at Lough Neagh. I welcome DAERA’s appointment of five suppliers to move this research project to the next phase, where potential solutions can be explored and developed.”
It is now expected the first phase of the new project will run until March with the potential for more applications next summer.
