Joint Research Strategy

The AUC have developed a joint research strategy, launched in May 2023. 

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Why?

AUC represents universities that both teach and research agriculture, and alongside strategic research institutes, we deliver the lion’s share of agricultural research in the UK.

But, while groups of universities team up on projects all the time, we have not worked before as a whole sector. The shared strategy sets out, for the first time, steps that we have agreed to take together to make our research as effective and efficient as possible.

We need to prioritise wisely, avoid duplication, and boost the practical impact and public value of our research.

A new approach

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.

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The strategy responds to the major challenges and changes facing agriculture. Research is vital, helping understand the challenges, and supporting innovation to address them. While UK research is recognised as being world-leading, farmers and other stakeholders have longstanding concerns about the impact of publicly-funded agricultural research.

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Rather than produce a wish-list of recommendations, we have set out the actions we are taking or intend to take, many with others, as a result of this process. This short report outlines those actions and is illustrated with examples of the impact of our research. 

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Read more about the report's launch here.