UK Cross Government Food Research and Innovation Strategy

The UK government has recently released it's food strategy - Food 2030 - for a sustainable and secure food system, linking social, environmental, health and economic factors, and in developing the policies to deliver this. This will include:

• a new multi-partner food security research programme, co-ordinated by BBSRC,
• a new Technology Strategy Board led Sustainable Agriculture and Food Innovation Platform, co-funded by Defra and BBSRC with up to £90M over 5 years, and
• a doubling of research investment in agriculture by DFID over the next five years.
  

Commentary in Nature: Europe's research system must change

Science funding in the European Union needs to be revised to better serve economic, social and environmental goals, Luke Georghiou in Nature argues that there needs to be greater levels of trans-national coordination in European approaches to tackling a small number of policy relevant 'grand challenges'. Improved linkages between policy makers and the organization and science of the Framework programmes and ERA-Nets is required.