DARD Evidence and Innovation Commissioning Call to AFBI

The DARD Evidence and Innovation Strategy (EIS) provides a 5 year framework for DARD’s evidence gathering and innovation support activities. The detailed activities are co-ordinated through four Programme Management Boards (PMBs), aligned to the EIS Strategic Goals, which report to an over-arching Evidence and Innovation Priorities Group (EIPG). EIPG makes the final decisions on the overall priority assigned to DARD evidence and innovation requirements and, ultimately, which activities can be funded in any particular year.

The DARD Commissioned Evidence and Innovation Call 2011/12 outlined our prioritised evidence and innovation requirements for the 2011-12 financial year and invited research proposals from the Agri-food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI) to address these. The Call was structured around the four PMBs and specified the priority policy areas that need to be addressed rather than individual projects.

The Call was informed by our first Stakeholder Forum on 20 October. All of the key issues highlighted by stakeholders were considered by the PMBs and EIPG but a number of these did not make it through to the final list due to budget constraints. Other options for addressing these needs include DARD-funded postgraduate projects, the Research Challenge Fund or next year’s evidence and innovation prioritisation process.

In response to the Call we received 57 proposals from AFBI for new work.  These were assessed and scored by the relevant PMB and EIPG to produce an agreed list of 38 proposals to undergo further detailed scrutiny, including economic appraisal.

Approved projects form part of AFBI’s annually agreed work programme for DARD and the majority are of 3 years duration.

Details of the approved projects, the original Call and the Short Format Proposal form may be downloaded at the links below.

For further information contact:

Wayne Morrison
Science, Evidence and Innovation Policy Division

DARD
Room 359, Dundonald House
Upper Newtownards Road
Ballymiscaw
BELFAST
BT4 3SB

Tel: 028 9052 5036
Email: wayne.morrison@dardni.gov.uk

DARD Short Format Proposal

Information on postgraduate projects and Research Challenge Fund projects supported by DARD are available by clicking below;