REGARD - Regional Strategies for Collaborative Anaerobic Digestion and Biorefinery Development in Ireland

Project Description

The REGARD project (Regional Strategies for Collaborative Anaerobic Digestion and Biorefinery Development in Ireland) adopts a regional, multi-actor approach to support the development of collaborative anaerobic digestion (AD) and AD-biorefinery models tailored to Ireland’s diverse agricultural and socio-economic landscape. Recognising that one-size-fits-all solutions are often inefficient, REGARD uses regional and scenario-based analysis to design strategies aligned with local feedstock, infrastructure, and stakeholder capacity. At its core, REGARD promotes the concept of transformative regional resilience, the ability to recover from disruptions and reshape the systems toward a more sustainable future. Within this framework, AD is not only a renewable energy technology but a catalyst for economic growth, structural transformation, and sustainable rural development. This research focuses on developing collaborative co-ownership models that share risks, and benefits among farmers, communities, and public or private stakeholders.

The project includes seven work packages: literature review and data consolidation (WP1) socio economic analysis of cooperative models (WP2), and the design of region-specific co-ownership structures (WP3). It will also identify major barriers and enablers (WP4), conduct regional mapping and scenario analysis (WP5), and deliver a pilot feasibility study for a co-owned AD-biorefinery facility (WP6). Throughout, the project will ensure continuous stakeholder engagement (WP7). REGARD builds on the extensive experience of the project team, which led the development of two SEAI-funded initiatives: CABBBIE and EXPAND. REGARD will consolidate and expand upon this foundation, leveraging existing knowledge to ensure that AD development strategies are regionally informed and closely aligned with decarbonisation, circular bioeconomy and rural revitalisation goals.