A major EU funding has been earmarked for the Midlands.
The €10 million sum is the second of the EU "Just Transition Fund" the nation has received this year.
The funding is part of the European Union's "Bioeconomy Demonstration Initiative", which aims to support two bioeconomy piloting and demonstration projects in the midlands, which will include Longford, Westmeath and Roscommon.
According to Minister of State for Land Use and Biodiversity, Senator Pippa Hackett, the funding will help counties in the midlands to invest in ecological alternatives and projects, which will create more sustainable jobs and practices across the nation.