Strategic Priorities for Agricultural Research Infrastructure Investment

The UK spends hundreds of millions of pounds each year on agricultural research, but how well is the infrastructure behind that research serving the people who rely on it? Research farms, laboratories, experimental field sites, digital platforms and environmental monitoring networks underpin the UK's capacity to generate new knowledge and respond to major challenges facing agriculture. Decisions about where and how to invest in this infrastructure therefore matter for the future of UK agricultural research. However, most existing evidence describes what infrastructure exists from the perspective of those who own or manage it, not those who use it. As a result, the needs and priorities of researchers, farmers and other stakeholders remain poorly understood.

This report closes that gap. Drawing on an analysis of £1.2 billion across 2,131 funded projects, a new national taxonomy and directory of research infrastructure, a survey of 604 farmers, researchers and stakeholders, and evidence from interviews and expert workshops, it reveals a system where infrastructure remains largely tied to individual institutions despite growing demand for shared facilities and data. It also compares research investment and stakeholder priorities: profitable farming, food security and resilience emerge as leading priorities, while funding remains concentrated in biological and production-oriented research, with less attention to economic and social evidence also needed to address those priorities. Building on these findings, the report sets out four strategic investment propositions, Preserve, Predict, Ground and Connect, offering a practical framework to guide future investment in UK agricultural research infrastructure.

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