Kildare university receives €600,000 in funding from Met Éireann for research project

Kildare's Maynooth University welcomes Met Éireann funding for a new research project which will strengthen Ireland’s ability to understand and prepare for climate extremes.

EXACT, or Extremes Across Climates and Timeframes, is led by Professor Conor Murphy of ICARUS, Maynooth University, with collaborators Dr Amr Mahfouz of the Maynooth University School of Business and Professor Peter Thorne of ICARUS.

It will combine Ireland’s extensive historical climate records with Met Éireann’s TRANSLATE climate projections to assess how events such as floods, droughts, and other climate extremes have changed over time. It will also assess how their likelihood may evolve under different climate change scenarios.

The project, which will receive €600,000 under the Met Éireann’s Weather and Climate Research Programme, will also focus on events where multiple climate hazards occur together or in close succession, such as heavy rainfall following drought, or concurrent heatwaves and dry conditions — which often lead to more severe impacts. These are known as compound extremes.

A central innovation of the project is the development of causal chains that trace the drivers of past extremes and connect them to future risks. These insights will inform the creation of clear, evidence-based climate storylines that link hazard, vulnerability, and impact — helping planners, communities, and sectors better understand and adapt to complex climate risks. These storylines will make scientific information more accessible and actionable, supporting informed decision-making for climate adaptation across sectors.

Professor Conor Murphy, Principal Investigator, ICARUS, Maynooth University, said: “With climate extremes becoming more frequent and complex, there is an urgent need to understand not just how these events are changing, but how they impact people, places, and sectors across Ireland. Through EXACT, we aim to bridge scientific research and practical decision-making by developing accessible storylines of past and future extremes. These will help support climate services, guide adaptation, and ultimately contribute to building a more climate-resilient Ireland.”

Working in close partnership with Met Éireann and national stakeholders, EXACT will deliver the tools and knowledge needed to support climate services and build a climate-resilient Ireland.

Dr. Patrick Fournet, Met Éireann’s Research Funding & Support Manager, congratulated Professor Conor Murphy on his success: “We are delighted to provide direct funding to Maynooth University for the EXACT project and look forward to integrating the outcomes of Professor Murphy’s research within the ‘TRANSLATE’ flagship programme. Building on our longstanding support via our engagement with researchers and our co-funding partnerships with other research organisations, we are proud to support Maynooth University through this award in our shared mission to maximise the impact of research in the service of society.”

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