EXPERIENCES FROM THE NETHERLANDS

ALIGNING AR AND ARD

DO AR AND ARD MORE OFTEN ADDRESS SIMILAR CHALLENGES AND

USE SIMILAR METHODS ??Yes, there is an increasing awareness that global challenges are an important aspect of ARD as well as AR and that AR and ARD can mutually enforce and benefit from each other. Global challenges such as food security, water and climate change are considered to be interlinked; contributing to address these challenges is regarded as a global responsibility by the Dutch government.

The Dutch Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation System has shown its contribution in promoting agricultural productivity sustainably in The Netherlands and can contribute to the global challenges.

Has this had consequences for the way your government:• sets the research agendas for AR and ARD? Not completely. The AR agenda focuses mainly at public-private goals, but includes also global food security in developing countries. The ARD research agenda is primarily development-oriented. Interdepartmental consultation is however increasing, and joint policy papers on food security have been published.

• organises / distributes the funding ? The organisation of funding is the final responsibility of two different ministries. ARD is financed by Foreign Affairs and AR by Economic Affairs. However, the Dutch private sector and NGOs are increasingly consulted and engaged.

• organises the research (e.g. by promoting collaboration / integration between institutes)? ARD funds are usually competitive, and promote cooperation with southern research institutes and stakeholder groups. The government finances universities (a.o. Wageningen, which is well known worldwide for its expertise on AR and ARD). Institutional support for Dutch research organisations in the field of ARD is not common, but does exist in a way for the CGIAR (Windows I and II) and some organisations in the south (mainly in Africa).

AR funds are partly competitive (based on research excellence), partly matching for European funds, partly institutional. Dutch funding organisations are increasingly demanding for interdisciplinary approaches, which encourages collaboration between institutes. Due to institutional settings, Dutch universities generally have more possibilities to collaborate with other organisations (national and international) than the applied research institutes.

INNOVATION PARTNERSHIP APPROACHES TO CONNECT LOCAL INNOVATION AND GLOBAL CHALL.

Do you see differences on how this is organised in AR (e.g. with Rural Development / Structural Funds) and in ARD ?Not so much in organisation, both have different strategies of funding.

Does more alignment make sense?Yes, because of efficiency, efficacy and mutual learning. Both on thematic level (f.i. methodologies regarding climate change, food-feed, emerging diseases) but also in participatory approaches, common in ARD, and innovation networks where research institutes cooperate with various stakeholders (farmers, companies, local population). Bringing in this variety of stakeholders is considered to be “a typical Dutch approach.”

Are there interesting relevant examples / developments to report from your country?The Food and Business Knowledge Platform, a steering committee consisting of representatives from education, government, private sector and NGOs, was recently established for the purpose of setting the Dutch knowledge agenda for food security and the promotion and alignment of both applied research as well as strategic research. Foreign Affairs and Economic Affairs have a joint policy responsibility for food security, including research.