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Research
A multi-million pound programme of strategic research delivered over five years providing science and evidence to support policymakers and its partners. Informed by strong partnerships and the needs of a broad range of stakeholders. Science at the heart of society contributing to the health, wealth and wellbeing of Scotland and beyond.
Explore our research projects
The aim of this project is to produce a composite breed of hill sheep that is capable of surviving and being productive under ongoing challenges from climate change. More sustainable feeding and management strategies will be developed, including taking the maintenance of biodiversity into account.
- Livestock Improvement
- 2022-2027
This project aims to advance natural capital research methods by making them more relevant and accessible to different audiences and improving their usefulness in policy analysis and decision-making.
- Natural Capital
- 2022-2027
This project aims to inform transformative policies to build food and nutrition security in Scotland. The research reviews and generates evidence, and recommends new ways of providing dignified options for Scotland’s more vulnerable residents to consume healthy food and drink in ways that provide opportunities for Scotland’s food and drink sector to operate in an environmentally and financially sustainable manner.
- Food Supply & Security
- 2022-2027
This project observes ‘living lab’ case studies in rural and island Scotland with a focus on dominant industries analysed through an innovative blend of micro- and macroeconomic concepts and methodologies to map an understanding of circular economy drivers and barriers such as behaviours (willingness) and socio-economic capacity i.e., technologies and green skills (readiness) under alternative scenarios depicting regional circular economy paths.
- Circular Economy & Waste
- 2022-2027
- Animal Disease
- 2022-2027
This project delivers underpinning and integrated research for: (i) emission factor updates and activity data, (ii) the development of a specific Peatland Monitoring Framework, (iii) improved Natural Capital accounting, further development of the Peatland Code, and (v) improved carbon auditing tools that include climate risk assessments.
- Soils
- 2022-2027
This project aims to develop a Risk and Opportunities Assessement Framewowork to asses Natural Capital assets and impacts of climate change, by integrating multiple (qantitative and qualitative) data, to identify risk asset types and consequences on capacity for Nature-based Solutions.
- Natural Capital
- 2022-2027
We review current insights on the potential impact of changing to more healthy, environmentally sustainable and affordable diets on climate change and biodiversity loss, and gather knowledge on how this impact can be practically measured and communicated. We assess how cultural factors and socio-economical/demographical factors are associated with a ‘readiness-to-change’ towards more environmentally sustainable food choices.
- Human Nutrition
- 2022-2027
The project assesses the influence of trigger events on basic and best-fit practices. New approaches for influencing farmer behaviour are being co-designed with farmers and industry stakeholders, empirically tested through applied agroecology, parasitology and experimental economics, and promoted through on-farm demonstrations, workshops, training events and multimedia campaigns.
- Improving Agricultural Practice
- 2022-2027
Effective business relationships in vertical supply chains are thought to: (a) reduce uncertainty (b) improve access to crucial resources and ⁄ or (c) raise business productivity. The purposes of this project are: to review the status-quo of collaboration and engagement between various stages of Scotland’s food and drink supply chain; to identify those points under acute pressure in the wake of recent shocks and recognising their strengths and weaknesses and to identify means by which collaboration can be enhanced.
- Food & Drink Improvements
- 2022-2027