The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has launched
a consultation for its new 'Horizon Scanning' research programme. The
consultation will help DEFRA to define research priorities for the £2
million programme to be tendered in April/May 2002.
The Horizon Scanning programme aims to help DEFRA to anticipate and be
better prepared for future risks and opportunities. The programme was partly
born out of lessons learned from a series of costly food and agriculture
crises, and the growing emphasis on sustainable development. It aims to fund
research which questions current policy approaches and assumptions and
addresses subjects which are not yet seen as current policy priorities, but
have the potential to be so in the near future.
DEFRA believes that broad-based consultation is the best way of establishing
priorities for horizon scanning research. The process is open to all,
including those who have not dealt with DEFRA before. The consultation is
being carried out by an independent team based at SPRU - Science and
Technology Policy Research at the University of Sussex. All submissions will
be analysed and a set of final recommendations to DEFRA will be made by an
independent Advisory Panel chaired by Anna Bradley, Director of the National
Consumer Council.
You can contribute to this consultation via a website at
http://www.defra.gov.uk/horizonscanning
The closing date for submissions is 29/03/02.
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