Virus infection in seed potato crops has surged across Europe over the last five years, threatening Scotland’s global reputation for producing high-quality seed. A multi-pronged approach was developed: mapping changing aphid and virus populations and their traits, using AI to create national early warning systems for forecasting risk, and field-testing integrated pest management (IPM) strategies—combining monitoring with companion crops and pesticide alternatives. This real-world approach guides best practice, helping growers time interventions and improve crop protection. This research supports industry and policy in achieving sustained economic value, reduced insecticide reliance, and long-term gains for the Scottish potato sector.
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Growing crop mixtures can increase yields, reduce input costs and support biodiversity. We have identified species/variety combinations, management conditions, and machinery adaptations that optimise these benefits from crop mixtures. This work has direct impact on farming practice and uptake by Scottish farmers through >50 collaborative trials to grow mixtures on farms across Scotland. By working with farmers to design and monitor trials, we are quantifying mixture performance relative to monocrops and demonstrating the technical feasibility of mixture cropping. Trial results and technical information are shared with the wider agricultural community of farmers and agronomists through field events, webinars, open access reports, and via the online ‘Pick-a-Mix’ tool, which provides practical information about mixture agronomy. Broader uptake is anticipated from providing evidence to support policy implementation, as crop diversity is now recommended in the Scottish Government’s ‘Code of Practice on Sustainable and Regenerative Agriculture’.
SEFARI Gateway and NatureScot are seeking an individual researcher, or small team of researchers, to explore how Scotland’s Agriculture and Knowledge Information System can better support a just transition to sustainable and regenerative agriculture, so that Scotland can achieve its vision of becoming a world leader in this area. We are providing support for a new Fellowship in collaboration with NatureScot.
Background
Scottish Government’s vision for agriculture includes an ambition for Scotland ‘to become a global leader in sustainable and regenerative agriculture.’ The ‘adoption and use of sustainable and regenerative agricultural actions or measures aligned to a set of principles’ is one of four overarching objectives of the Agriculture and Rural Communities (Scotland) Act 2024. The recently published Code of Practice on Sustainable and Regenerative Agriculture sets out five regenerative principles and describes regenerative agriculture as agriculture that (inter alia) ‘produces food and other agricultural products whilst also improving the natural asset value of the land, particularly soil health and function and the biodiversity value’.
For the agriculture industry to adopt and apply regenerative principles, we need an effective Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation System (AKIS) that enables evidence and knowledge to reach people on the ground in ways that influence behaviour and practice. Scotland’s AKIS is represented by the combined interactions, knowledge flows and practices instigated between people, organisations and institutions in the agricultural sector. Key stakeholders in the AKIS include supply chain actors, farmers, crofters, farm advisory services and advisors, land-based business organisations, and research and education providers, including research institutes, universities and colleges.
Scotland’s Agriculture Reform Programme includes the phasing in of a new support framework under 4 tiers, namely Tier 1 – Basic Payment, Tier 2 Enhanced (e.g. measures to reduce GHG emissions), Elective (e.g. targeted action for specific habitats) and Tier 4 Complementary – measures that complement Tiers 1-3 by providing access to continuous professional development including training and advice. An effective AKIS will therefore need to align with the objectives and priorities for Tier 4 support.
In light of these changes to the support framework and the overall objectives of Agriculture Reform, the purpose of this research is to examine which organisations and activities in the current AKIS are most effective in influencing behaviour and practice in relation to sustainable and regenerative agriculture and to explore what changes might be needed to that system to help more farmers adopt the use of more sustainable and regenerative agricultural practices.
The Fellowship
We are seeking an examination of Scotland’s AKIS and proposals emerging from the ongoing AKIS review through the lens of sustainable and regenerative agriculture. More specifically, while recognising SG actions to develop a Continuous Professional Development (CPD) regime, we require a Fellow(s) to:
examine the capacity of the existing system to deliver both general and businessspecific advice to farmers and land managers to help them transition to more sustainable and regenerative farming systems
provide recommendations on changes to the funding and operation of AKIS that would better support the transition to more sustainable and regenerative farming systems
The following questions might be used to guide the Fellowship:
Which organisations in the existing AKIS and which approaches are the most influential in terms of changing the behaviours and practice of land managers?
How might we encourage the entry of a broader range of providers into the system?
What is the current capacity (c.f. demand and need) of the most influential organisations (in terms of skills, knowledge and numbers of personnel) to deliver:
general advice on transitioning to more regenerative agriculture?
business-specific advice on transitioning to more regenerative agriculture?
Which elements of the existing AKIS are currently the most significant and effective in terms of delivering:
general advice on transitioning to more regenerative agriculture?
business-specific advice on transitioning to more regenerative agriculture?
What is the relative level of public and ‘private’ (fee-for-service advisors, food-chain actor, upstream/downstream industries) investment in these elements of the system (those supporting regenerative approaches) c.f. elements of the system that primarily support more conventional approaches to agriculture.
How do we increase capacity in the most influential organisations to deliver general and business specific advice on regenerative agriculture?
How might we encourage a broader range of providers to contribute to the AKIS?
How might potential new approaches to service provision emerging from the AKIS Review impact on the capacity of AKIS to deliver general and business specific advice on regenerative agriculture?
Approach
The Fellow(s) is expected to devise their own methodology for addressing these questions, although it is anticipated this may include online survey, interviews and focus group discussions. The successful applicant(s) will iterate an approach in agreement with NatureScot, Scottish Government (RESAS) and SEFARI Gateway. Depending on what emerges, some changes to the scope and approach may be required during the project.
Audience
A key audience for the work will be policy makers and other stakeholders involved in Scotland’s Agricultural Reform Programme
Required Outputs
A draft report setting out the evidence base, addressing the questions outlined above.
The draft report will form the basis for an in person (or hybrid) workshop bringing together policy leads and other researchers to sense-check the findings and recommend next steps.
A final report.
Duration and Time
The deadline for final report from the Fellowship is 28th February 2026.
The distribution of time on the project will be jointly agreed by the Fellow(s), NatureScot and SEFARI Gateway.
Practicalities and resources
The details of the final Fellowship work plan will be iterated and agreed with the successful Fellow(s).
The Fellow(s) should expect to spend the equivalent of up to 42 days (to a maximum total funding of £27,000 for time, funded through SEFARI Gateway and NatureScot) on the project, although the exact number of days, their timing, and their pattern through the working week will depend on personal circumstances. We anticipate the Fellowship running for a maximum of ~5 months.
Please note that costs should be submitted net of VAT recovered by the applicant. Applicants should seek advice on appropriate VAT treatment of proposed funding. Travel and subsistence and to support any workshop costs will be agreed and funded separate to the FTE costs, and up to a maximum of £5,000.
Eligibility and further details
The central focus of this Fellowship is to the ENRA Portfolio. The Fellowship is open to applicants from staff:
from any SEFARI Organisation o ENRA Portfolio Centres of Expertise
Staff within any UK Higher Education Institution (or Research Institute) o Please note, you do not need to have been previously funded by Scottish Government via the Portfolio to qualify for SEFARI Gateway funding.
Applicants must have the support of their organisation
Sign-off should be at the level deemed appropriate for each organisation (please talk to your line manager), but Directors/Chief Executives of your Institute (or University school as appropriate) should be made aware.
The taking of such an opportunity should not result in a candidate going beyond the end of any agreed contract they may have with their employer.
It is recognised that individual circumstances are different and support levels will vary depending on salary, distance from the opportunity and so on – the support level will be kept under review to try and maintain a fair and equitable competition and process. The organisation of the successful fellow(s) should not expect to meet any costs beyond that paid for by SEFARI Gateway.
The successful candidate(s) will be expected to contribute to relevant meetings or outputs for the project partners as the Fellowship progresses and to generate knowledge exchange related content, including a case study, for SEFARI Gateway.
How to apply
Applications must be made to: info@sefari.scot and should include a cover letter (two pages of detail on your suitability or that of the team) and a two-page CV (or up to 6 pages for a team). Decisions on who to interview will be based solely on this letter and CV.
The cover letter should include:
why you are interested in this opportunity and what you hope to get from it;
what skills and experience you would bring to this role;
how you propose to address the objectives of the Fellowship;
what you would do to take the learning back into your organisation and to maintain links with the project’s stakeholders, SEFARI Gateway and the ENRA Portfolio.
Team-based applications should demonstrate how they propose to manage individual contributions to satisfy the degree of multi-disciplinary integration required.
The deadline for applications is 17th October with an expected start date of the end of October.
If you have any questions on this, or any general aspect of the SEFARI Fellowship scheme, please contact Jenny Fyall, research and communications manager, SEFARI Gateway, at:
jenny.fyall@sefari.scot
Thomas (Tom) is an ecologist specialising in the study of carbon cycling in upland and far northern ecosytems. Much of this research centres on roots and the 'rhizosphere'- the volume of soil directly influenced by root activity- and how root and rhizosphere processes control the capacity of an ecosystem to store carbon. Tom's expertise is in understanding ecological processes, how they connect within an ecosystem and how they are influenced by climate and vegetation change. Tom works in the Biodiversity and Ecosystems Group with a focus on the ecosystem responses to land management and green house gas fluxes from peatlands.
An exciting opportunity for an individual researcher, or small team of researchers, is available in the form of a new Fellowship. With funding from SEFARI Gateway, and working in collaboration with Scottish Government, Scottish Environment Protection Agency and others within the Co-ordinated Agenda for Marine, Environment and Rural Affairs Science, this Fellowship will produce a strategic route map to enable use of DNA and other biomolecules to monitor, assess and understand the environment.
Background
SEFARI (Scottish Environment Food & Agriculture Institutions) Gateway (“the Gateway”) is the Centre of Expertise for Knowledge Exchange and Innovation for the Scottish Government’s Strategic Research Portfolio for Environment, Rural Affairs and Agriculture (ENRA) 2022-2027.
The Gateway provides access to the Strategic Portfolio’s expertise, such as from SEFARI Institutes themselves and via the commissioning of wider expertise across Scotland and the UK. We ensure scientific evidence helps inform policy and practice across Scotland’s environment, land use, agriculture, food, and rural communities.
SEFARI Gateway Fellowships are bespoke, responsive opportunities aiming to develop a shared understanding between researchers and stakeholders, and to prioritise areas for common effort in addressing key priorities within Scotland’s National Outcomes.
The Co-ordinated Agenda for Marine, Environment and Rural Affairs Science (CAMERAS) is a partnership initiative between various publicly-funded organisations. It aims to align and co-ordinate the scientific activity of the partner organisations to ensure best use of existing resource and provide enhanced support to Scottish Government policy development and delivery, primarily in the rural, environmental and marine areas.
Many of the partner organisations are engaged in developing and using DNA and other molecular based methods to monitor, assess and understand the environment.
The CAMERAS board have taken an increasing interest in this area, and have previously supported a research project that was managed through the Scottish DNA Hub, and successfully demonstrated the potential for DNA-based methods to provide a practical means of monitoring biodiversity at a landscape scale in Scotland.
This study, alongside many others, demonstrates that DNA and other molecular based methods have great potential, and in some cases are already being used, to provide more cost-effective solutions for environmental monitoring in Scotland.
They can also provide new insights into biodiversity and ecosystem health, to better inform policy and regulatory decision making. However, if this potential is to be fully realised, there is a need to accelerate the tools from the research stage into operational tools and to identify key areas where these tools can be effectively adopted to support decision making.
The Fellowship
We require a Fellow(s) to produce a strategy and roadmap to support the development and expansion of DNA and other molecular based methods for environmental monitoring in Scotland.
They would describe the main areas where environmental evidence is needed to support key policy priorities and identify the major practical opportunities for DNA and molecular methods to support these through providing greater efficiency and relevant new insights.
They would assess current capabilities in developing and using these methods across the Scottish Government and its agencies, academic institutions and commercial companies, and compare these with developments in the field, both elsewhere in the UK, Europe and globally.
Gaps in existing capacity will be identified, as well as opportunities for strategic co-ordination and sharing of joint resources among Scottish partners.
Opportunities for alignment with wider initiatives, such as the development of international standards, would be identified to ensure that Scottish method development proceeds effectively and efficiently.
Approach
The successful applicant(s) will compile the evidence base and draft the strategy under the direction of a project steering group. This will be chaired by Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) and composed of members from CAMERAS Partners, SEFARI Gateway and the Scottish Government.
They will iterate a final approach in agreement with the steering group and SEFARI Gateway but this is anticipated to follow the following format:
Stage 1: Initial evidence gathering
This initial stage is expected to involve one, or possibly two, one-day workshops to gather input from a wide range of relevant research providers and users.
This evidence gathering stage will identify and describe:
Key environmental policy needs, and associated evidence requirements.
Main existing monitoring approaches and associated requirements for policy and regulatory decision making.
Current developments and targets in Scotland for using DNA and other molecular methods across the key organisations.
“State of play” for use and integration of molecular methods in environmental monitoring globally.
Existing relevant capabilities and resources across Scottish institutions. This will include facilities, equipment, skills and expertise.
Stage 2: Producing the strategic route map
A second stage will synthesise the evidence to provide a strategic route map for accelerating the development of operational methods which:
Identifies strategic gaps and opportunities for shared services, efficiency in alignment and coordination.
Assesses resourcing needs, supports necessary training and development, and facilitates access to skills.
Facilitates establishment of appropriate baselines and methods for reliable and repeatable reassessment.
Supports efforts towards standardisation and harmonisation of sampling, laboratory methodology, data analysis and data management at UK and international levels.
Facilities incorporation of sensitivity analyses and understanding sources of variation as new methods come on-stream.
Recognises requirements for open access to methods and data following the FAIR principles.
Accommodates integration with existing techniques and other emerging technologies.
Required Outputs
A report following the initial evidence-gathering stage / workshop(s) that provides progress on the work listed under Stage 1, above.
A final report at the end of Stage 2 that describes in detail the strategic route map that has been produced.
A case study to disseminate findings across stakeholders, which will be published on the SEFARI Gateway website, that will link to the above reports.
Duration and Time
The deadline for final report from the Fellowship is 28th February, 2026.
The distribution of time on the project will be jointly agreed by the Fellow(s), the project Steering Group and SEFARI Gateway.
Resources
The Fellowship supports up to a maximum of 28 days FTE (funding up to a limit of £22,000) for an individual or team of (maximum 3) researchers.
Given the strategic scope of the work, additional funding (to a limit of £8,500) will be provided from SEFARI Gateway’s IKE (Innovative Knowledge Exchange) budget to support the creation and delivery of workshops and other stakeholder in-person meetings.
Costs should be submitted net of VAT recovered by the applicant. Applicants should seek advice on appropriate VAT treatment of proposed funding.
Practicalities
The details of the final Fellowship work plan will be developed, and agreed, between the successful Fellow(s) and a project management team involving two representatives from SEFARI Gateway, and representatives from CAMERAS and Scottish Government. This will include such details as the number of days to be worked and work pattern through the week.
The project must report by 28th February 2026.
Eligibility and further details
The central focus of this Fellowship is to the ENRA Portfolio. The Fellowship is open to applicants from staff:
from any SEFARI Organisation
ENRA Portfolio Centres of Expertise
Staff within any UK Higher Education Institution (or Research Institute)
Please note, you do not need to have been previously funded by Scottish Government via the Portfolio to qualify for SEFARI Gateway funding.
Applicants must have the support of their organisation
Sign-off should be at the level deemed appropriate for each organisation (please talk to your line manager), but Directors/Chief Executives of your Institute (or University school as appropriate) should be made aware.
The taking of such an opportunity should not result in a candidate going beyond the end of any agreed contract they may have with their employer.
It is recognised that individual circumstances are different and support levels will vary depending on salary, distance from the opportunity and so on – the support level will be kept under review to try and maintain a fair and equitable competition and process. The organisation of the successful fellow(s) should not expect to meet any costs beyond that paid for by SEFARI Gateway.
The successful candidate(s) will be expected to contribute to relevant meetings or outputs for the project partners as the Fellowship progresses and to generate knowledge exchange related content, including a case study, for SEFARI Gateway.
Applications
Applications must be made to: info@sefari.scot and should include a cover letter (two pages of detail on your suitability or that of the team) and a two-page CV (or up to 6 pages for a team). Decisions on who to interview will be based solely on this letter and CV.
The cover letter should include:
why you are interested in this opportunity and what you hope to get from it;
what skills and experience you would bring to this role;
how you propose to address the objectives of the Fellowship;
what you would do to take the learning back into your organisation and to maintain links with the project’s stakeholders, SEFARI Gateway and the ENRA Portfolio.
Team-based applications should demonstrate how they propose to manage individual contributions to satisfy the degree of multi-disciplinary integration required.
The deadline for applications is 17th October 2025 with an expected start date of the end of October.
If you have any questions on this, or any general aspect of the SEFARI Fellowship scheme, please contact Jenny Fyall, research and communications manager, SEFARI Gateway, at: jenny.fyall@sefari.scot
Digital or data-driven farming has the potential to transform agriculture, helping it become more sustainable. By combining real-time data from sensors, satellites, and molecular tools with advances in computing and scientific knowledge, farmers can better manage crops and livestock at different scales. But turning this potential into reality requires major research and development.
The Sustainable Agricultural Tools project, funded by the Scottish Government’s RESAS programme, is addressing this challenge. The project is creating new bioinformatics, modelling, and statistical tools to convert raw data into practical information that supports decision-making in agriculture. Current work includes developing methods to assess freedom from infection, estimate disease risks, and use both molecular and sensor data to improve monitoring and management of farming systems.
In line with the Scottish Government’s commitment to Open Science, the project prioritises openness, transparency, and research integrity in all aspects of its work.
Edinburgh: 5 - 7th November, 2025.
Attendance by invite only.
The Scottish Government is committed to tackling climate change with an ambitious target of 2045 for Scotland to reach net zero emissions for all greenhouse gases. As part of this transition new uses need to be found for sites such as the Grangemouth refinery to secure a just transition for the local and wider Scottish population. Project Willow: Grangemouth investment opportunities has identified a set of preferred projects including a proposed biorefinery project for aviation fuel. The aviation sector is currently a significant greenhouse gas emitter through its use of fossil fuels (Okolie et al. 2023) thus key to the success of this option is the production of, and access to, sufficient volumes of feedstocks of bio-oil of appropriate quality with a low climate impact. Project Willow highlighted that there is not enough waste oil to supply this need, therefore, oil-based crops would need to fill this gap in the oil supply chain. This review is in response to a policy call-down project request in the form of a Q&A style report to answer questions on the potential for oil-based cover crops to produce bio-aviation fuel in Scotland. Potential crops include camelina and oilseed rape (OSR), and this report includes a screen for potential alternatives. Also included is the potential of a camelina breeding programme, together with economic analysis of the competition between camelina, OSR and cereals for land.
Authors: Dr Tracy Valentine, Dr Shailesh Shrestha, Prof Fiona Burnett
Full suggested citation:
Valentine, T.A., Shrestha, S., Burnett, F., (2025). Oil based cover crops for aviation fuel in Scotland - question and answer report. A report for the Scottish Government. James Hutton Institute/SRUC. pp25.
DOI 10.5281/zenodo.17078936
Mairi Gougeon, the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform, and Islands and SEFARI Gateway are hosting Scotland’s Global Food Security Conference, with the theme ‘Climate Change, Collaboration, and Comparative Advantage’ in Edinburgh, 5th–7th November 2025.
Invited participants will be welcomed on Wednesday 5th November with an evening reception at the Scottish Parliament. On Thursday 6th November, the main conference will bring together Scottish and international experts in the beautiful surrounds of the Royal Botanic Gardens, to present Scottish research in this area and explore how collaboration, knowledge exchange, and top-quality scientific research can enable all actors to play a role in achieving global food security. Finally, on Friday 7th November there will be the option for some participants to visit research facilities and living labs. We look forward to lively discussions and ample opportunities for networking.
As space is limited, attendance at the event is by invite only.
An agenda of events can be viewed here.
Information on the speakers can be accessed here.
A summary note on the conference proceedings can be found here.
All of the slides from the conference are available here.
N.B. Due to late-running parliamentary business, the parliamentary reception will now begin at 19:15 and end at 20:30. We ask that you arrive at parliament at 18:45 to ensure you have time to pass through security and registration.
The event will be hosted by Professor Mathew Williams, Chief Scientific Adviser for Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture (ENRA) and will feature keynote addresses, breakout sessions, panel debate, networking and posters.
Objectives of the event:
- The event will provide an opportunity for researchers, including early career researchers, across the Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture Research Portfolio to showcase their research and highlight recent research outputs and impact.
- This networking event will provide a forum for both researchers and policy makers from across the public sector to discuss key cross cutting strategic issues affecting Scotland’s environment, communities and rural economy.
- The event will enable policy colleagues to discuss with the research community policy priorities and potential future evidence needs.
- The event focus this year will be the ENRA Research Strategy 2027-2032. The consultation on the draft Scottish Government ENRA Research Strategy 2027-2032 is now open and can be accessed here.
- The focus of posters will be showcasing of impact arising from the 2022-2027 Research Portfolio.
As space is limited, attendance at the event is by invite only.
SEFARI Gateway are supporting the event and coordinating the posters exhibition, where 30 posters, featuring projects from the Strategic Research Portfolio, funded by the Scottish Government’s Rural Environment Science and Analytical Service (RESAS) and addresses key mid to longer-term challenges for Scotland’s environment, agriculture, land use, food and rural communities, will be presented at the event.
The draft programme will follow shortly.
Posters that were presented at the conference can be accessed here - ENRA 2025 Poster Presentations | SEFARI