New opportunities for multi-disciplinary research collaborations in South East England were given a boost today (24 April) with the launch of the Rural Research & Strategy Partnership (RRSP), which includes Forest Research, the scientific research and technical development agency of the Forestry Commission.

The RRSP brings together five of the region's leading research institutions to help find ways to solve its most pressing rural problems. As well as Forest Research, which is based near Farnham in Surrey and will co-ordinate the partnership's work, it includes the Universities of Reading, Surrey and Sussex, and the University College for the Creative Arts at Canterbury, Epsom, Farnham, Maidstone and Rochester. It is supported by the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA).

The RRSP aims to form new communities of multi-disciplinary teams of internationally recognised researchers from top-rated research establishments to address the issues important to the region. New collaborations between the research teams and key regional policymakers and rural stakeholder groups will encourage the generation and use of new research evidence to provide practical and innovative solutions to rural issues. Among the topics it will collaborate on are nature conservation, wind power, nuclear energy, biofuels production, and pollution.

Despite having the UK’s highest density of tertiary education and research establishments, there has not been, until now, any formal rural research network in the South East, despite rural issues being a principal element in the region's distinctiveness. Although the region is densely populated, more than 80 per cent of its land area is classified as rural. One third of its countryside is protected for its landscape quality, and it holds 10 per cent of the UK’s farms.

On behalf of the partnership, Professor Peter Bunyan of University of Surrey explained,

“South East England is the economic powerhouse of the UK, and our rural heritage and assets play an important role in that. But one of our big problems is in understanding how we can maintain and improve rural sustainability alongside the demands of economic progress. The South East is a local exemplar of this global paradox. I believe that the RRSP will lead the way to resolving the dilemma through enabling targeted, appropriate research, and in doing so, provide a model transferable to similar areas of the world."

The RRSP also aims to ensure that current research that informs key policy areas is showcased. Dr Anja Ueberjahn-Tritta, the partnership co-ordinator, said,

“We want to ensure that researchers already working to underpin regional rural policy have the opportunity to show the region the results from their projects, and the impact that their work can have.”

Phil Eadie, head of the South East England Intelligence Network, the regional information hub, added,

“I welcome the new partnership as a guiding force to connect research with the key regional priorities. I believe that the partnership will catalyse innovative partnerships, and the knowledge gained from these will support the choice and implementation of the most effective policies.”

Professor Peter Freer-Smith, acting chief executive officer of Forest Research, welcomed the partnership, saying,

“I very much welcome this initiative, which capitalises on the rich mix of research skills and talents that we have at Forest Research, and will enable our researchers to contribute in a meaningful way to the region’s development. The RRSP intends to make the dialogue between the research community, policy makers and rural community groups deeper and more vibrant, and this will really help our researchers to form new, multi-disciplinary research consortia focused on rural issues.”

The RRSP was launched at an event in London today entitled “A Breath of Fresh Air”, which highlighted the key regional priorities that researchers will initially focus on. Findings from the event will be discussed by the research community through a series of research workshops to be held by the partners in the summer and autumn.

For further information about the RRSP, visit www.forestresearch.gov.uk/rrsp or contact Dr Ueberjahn-Tritta at Forest Research's Alice Holt Lodge research station near Farnham, Surrey: e-mail: anja.ueberjahn-tritta@forestry.gsi.gov.uk; tel: 01420 22255.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

1. Rural South East England is an area for action identified in the Regional Economic Strategy, which means there will be change that impacts the whole of the rural South East. The RRSP aims to be a rural research network to assist in the process of planning, delivering and managing the changes, and to co-ordinate collaborative thinking between regional stakeholders and the wider research community.
2. The RRSP will bring together new communities and collaborations of key policymakers, rural stakeholder groups and multi-disciplinary researchers to encourage the generation and use of new research evidence to provide practical and innovative solutions to rural issues. It will support the research community to collaborate and produce high-quality research from which everyone can learn.
3. Forest Research is an agency of the Forestry Commission that undertakes world-class scientific research and technical development relevant to forestry. For further information visit www.forestresearch.gov.uk. The Forestry Commission is the government department for forestry in Great Britain. For further information visit www.forestry.gov.uk.
4. SEEDA, the South East England Development Agency, is the Government-funded agency responsible for the sustainable economic development and regeneration of the South East of England. It aims to create a prosperous, dynamic and inspirational region by helping businesses compete more effectively, training a highly skilled workforce, and supporting and enabling communities while safeguarding the region's natural resources and cherishing its rich cultural heritage. For further information visit www.seeda.co.uk.
5. The University of Reading is one of the UK’s top research-intensive universities and one of the top 200 universities in the world, with a world-class reputation for teaching, research and enterprise. Important achievements include being the first university to win the Queen’s Award for Export Achievement (1989) and twice receiving the Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher Education (1998 and 2006). For further information visit www.reading.ac.uk.
6. The University of Surrey, at Guildford, is a leading professional, scientific and technological university with a world-class research profile and a reputation for teaching and research excellence. Its ground-breaking research is helping industry to maintain its competitive edge and creating improvements in health, medicine, space science, the environment, communications, defence and social policy. Its science and technology programmes are widely recognised and it also boasts flourishing programmes in dance, music, social sciences, management, languages and law. The university also owns and runs Surrey Research Park, providing facilities for 140 companies employing 2700 staff. For further information, visit www.surrey.ac.uk.
7. The University of Sussex is ranked among the top 150 research and teaching institutions in the world. Much of its research is devoted to finding solutions to real-world problems, including global warming, sustainable energy and conservation. It has counted three Nobel Prize winners on its Faculty. For further information visit www.sussex.ac.uk.
8. The University College for the Creative Arts at Canterbury, Epsom, Farnham, Maidstone and Rochester is one of Europe’s largest specialist colleges of art, design, architecture, media and communication. About 6500 students study on a wide range of courses in a highly creative environment. The College is working towards university title status. Visit www.ucreative.ac.uk for further information.

NEWS MEDIA CONTACTS:

• Forestry Commission/Forest Research - Charlton Clark 0131 314 6500; e-mail: charlton.clark@forestry.gsi.gov.uk;
• SEEDA - Sam Philpott, 01483 470177; e-mail: samphilpott@seeda.co.uk;
• University of Reading - Dr Lucy Chappell, 0118 378 7391, 0118 378 7179, or 07515 188751; e-mail: l.chappell@reading.ac.uk;
• University of Surrey - Peter La, 01483 689191; e-mail: p.la@surrey.ac.uk;
• University of Sussex - Maggie Clune or Jacqui Bealing, 01273 678888; e-mail: press@sussex.ac.uk;
• University College for the Creative Arts at Canterbury, Epsom, Farnham, Maidstone and Rochester - Angela Chadwick, 01252 892731; e-mail: achadwick@ucreative.ac.uk.