The Countryside and Community Research Institute (CCRI) has been awarded a substantial five-year contract by the European Union (EU) as part of an international research consortium.
Featuring world-leading researchers, the CCRI is joining forces with the European Commission – the primary executive arm of the EU – project lead and consulting company ADE from Belgium, the Council for Agriculture and Economic Research in Italy, and consultants OIR from Austria and IfLS from Germany, to evaluate aspects of the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).
Each of the several projects within the five-year contract – officially titled ‘Framework contract for analytical services on knowledge and skills of farmers, social and societal aspects of agriculture and rural areas’ – could last up to 15 months and earn the University an average income of £200,000 per year, totalling up to £1 million overall.
CAP aims to support farmers and improve agricultural productivity; promote jobs in farming, agri-food industries and associated sectors; safeguard European Union farmers to make a reasonable living; help tackle climate change and the sustainable management of natural resources; and maintain rural areas and landscapes across the EU.
The CCRI will contribute to an assessment of the policy in a number of key topics, including its impact in attracting and supporting young farmers and new farmers; promoting employment, growth, gender equality, including the participation of women in farming; and response of the EU to demands for high-quality, safe and nutritious food produced in a sustainable way.
The CCRI will also help examine how CAP is supporting modernisation in agriculture and rural areas, notably by fostering and sharing knowledge and innovation among farmers and through providing improved access to research, innovation, knowledge exchange and training.
Professor of Rural Policy, Janet Dwyer OBE will be leading the CCRI component of the research said: “We’re enormously proud to have won this hugely significant contract from the European Union, which is a major endorsement of the work we have been carrying out in this area.
“We undertake some powerful research across the University and this new EU project provides our academic staff and postgraduate students with another great opportunity to contribute their knowledge and expertise and make a real difference to people and communities.
“We look forward to contributing to the overarching design of the study and playing a key role in carrying out specific research and projects.”