Universities join forces to boost ag research

A group of agricultural universities has today (18 May) produced a research strategy which sets out new steps the institutions are taking to join up their research and strengthen the difference they make on the ground. 

These plans include working with farming networks to get an up-to-date, sector-wide picture of research priorities, coordinating how they share evidence, and training the next generation of scientists with the skills to research complex, real-world farming systems.

Launched today at RAU Swindon, the Royal Agricultural University’s Swindon campus, the new research strategy has been produced by the Agricultural Universities Council (AUC), which represents 16 universities that both teach and research agriculture. Alongside the strategic research institutes, they deliver the lion’s share of agricultural research in the UK. 

This is the first time that agricultural research providers have joined up on this scale, and is the outcome of a year-long investigation into industry and policy priorities, current research activities, and the sector’s strengths and weaknesses. 

The strategy responds to the major challenges and changes facing agriculture. Research is vital, to understand the issues and support innovation to address them. While UK science is seen as world-leading, farmers and other stakeholders have longstanding concerns about the impact of publicly-funded agricultural research. The strategy therefore sets out to prioritise wisely, avoid duplication, and boost the practical impact and public value of research.

Leaders from across food and farming research and innovation attended today’s launch which took place at RAU Swindon in the town’s historic railway heritage quarter which is just down the road from UKRI, the national funding agency investing in research and innovation. 

Professor Tom MacMillan, Elizabeth Creak Chair in Rural Policy & Strategy at the Royal Agricultural University (RAU) who is the lead author of the report, said: “A good deal of time, money and thought goes into agricultural research, but is it achieving as much as it should? This strategy is about focusing that effort to make it more useful on the ground at a time when farmers and the environment are under huge pressure.

“This kind of joined-up working has proved tricky over the years because, rightly, research is independent and decentralised. What I hope is refreshing about this strategy is that the universities have recognised we have a shared responsibility and we’re teaming up and taking the initiative where we can.”

Speaking at the launch, Executive Chair of Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) Melanie Welham, said: “Research and innovation can provide solutions to many of the global challenges we face today. To realise its full potential, we need a research and innovation system that is connected and engaged, allowing us to maximise opportunities for new discoveries and ways to deliver impact. The commitments and actions set out within the AUC Joint Research Strategy reflect these ambitions and are very much welcomed by BBSRC.”

NFU President Minette Batters welcomed the report saying: “As the bedrock of the food system, farmers and growers feel a great responsibility to be part of the solution. We see science and research playing a vital role in this: providing on-farm decision makers with robust evidence of what works; informing and analysing regulation; and ensuring that change leads to genuine and sustainable benefits for all. I’m very pleased that the leading universities also recognise their responsibilities and the opportunities to increase their value to farming through a coordinated research strategy.”

Professor Sir Charles Godfray, Oxford University, chaired the AUC’s Strategy Project Advisory Group. He said: “It is to the great credit of the network of universities with expertise in agriculture that they have come together to form the Agricultural Universities Council (AUC) and to examine critically how research in this area needs to evolve and strengthen. It is a highly timely initiative. 

“The UK Government recently published a Science and Technology Framework with a ten-point plan to make the UK a Science and Technology Superpower.  This report, and future work planned by the AUC, will help ensure that agricultural research, interpreted broadly, is part of this vision.”

Henry Dimbleby, who led the National Food Strategy (2020), and is a recent lead non-executive board member at Defra, said: “It is so welcome to see scientists join forces like this. This is the kind of strategic leadership called for by the deep and urgent crises in our food and farming.”

The Agricultural Universities Council (AUC) is a partnership of 16 UK universities involved in teaching and research on agriculture. The members of the AUC are Aberystwyth University, Cranfield University, Harper Adams University, Hartpury University, Newcastle University, Queens University Belfast, Royal Agricultural University, SRUC, University of Edinburgh, University of Hertfordshire, University of Leeds, University of Lincoln, University of Nottingham, University of Reading, University of Warwick, and Writtle University College. 

This strategy was researched and drafted by Prof Tom MacMillan, Prof Jo Price, Dr Kate Pressland and Oli Dye on behalf of the Agricultural Universities Council. The AUC is provided with secretariat and coordination by The Centre for Effective Innovation in Agriculture (CEIA). The CEIA is generously funded by The Elizabeth Creak Charitable Trust.