ZEPS played a major role in the development of the concept of the Environmental Research Institute of UCC with Professor John Davenport serving as the first Director of the ERI.

For several years it has been deeply involved in the functioning of three applied research centres.

• The Aquatic Services Unit (ASU) conducts a wide range of survey work and environmental impact analysis.
• The Coastal and Marine Resources Centre (CMRC, founded jointly by the Department of Geography and ZEPS) has a proud record of local, national and international research.
• The Aquaculture and Fisheries Development Centre (AFDC) is involved strongly with the development of Irish aquaculture and has functional research links in Europe and North America. The national aquaculture website is run by the AFDC management.

In 2000 all three research centres were incorporated into the multidisciplinary, multifaculty Environmental Research Institute (ERI) in which ZEPS maintains a strong research and management role.

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VIMS (Virginia Institute for Marine Science)

VIMS, affiliated with the College of William & Mary, has signed a formal Memorandum of Understanding with UCC to promote long-term collaborative research links with the Environmental Research Institute (ERI) of UCC. ZEPS has considerable input to the ERI and ZEPS staff have visited VIMS.

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PLANTS (Eden Project)

ZEPS is shortly to set up a demonstration within the world famous Eden Project in Cornwall. The Eden Project attracted 1.8 million visitors last year. PLANTS aims at the development of plant regulated agriculture/horticulture where the plant's need for water, nutrients, light, pest and disease control is detected, non-invasively by remote sensors and interpreted by computers which activate appropriate responses. This contrasts with traditional methods where general treatments are applied, occasionally based on monitoring of environmental parameters, which are wasteful of valuable natural resources, costly and result in sub optimal plant productivity. The partners' roles in PLANTS are to characterise plant stress signals (biomarkers - ZEPS, Cork, Ireland), to develop sensors/communicating sensor platforms (NMRC, Cork, Ireland), to develop appropriate computer software to actuate responses (CTI, Patras, Greece) and to demonstrate and communicate the project goals (Eden Project, UK)

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COMMINANDES project (sustainable potato production in the Andes)

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Bermuda Aquarium, Museum & Zoo (BAMZ)

ZEPS has an on-going postgraduate teaching link with BAMZ. Bermudian students have conducted conservation-related PhD and MSc research in Bermuda, whilst supervised remotely by staff of ZEPS and supported by BAMZ scientists. ZEPS staff make supervisory visits at suitable intervals.

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