Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture (ENRA) research strategy 2027-2032: consultation

3.0 An outcome focused approach

The ENRA Research Strategy 2027-2032 will promote an outcome-focused approach to maximise the impact of our research. The approach calls for better targeted and designed policy interventions, wider uptake of good practice across key sectors, cross-cutting research to include behavioural science, and development of new technologies and processes.

A theory of change defines the impact pathway from project activities to the project outputs, leading to outcomes, and finally the impact delivered (Figure 3). Impact requires co-development, with stakeholders engaged at each stage. Stakeholder engagement is vital for research to deliver outcomes for wider society.

Figure 3: The Theory of Change Impact Pathway. All projects undertake activities with the following examples: Workshop and outreach activities; collaboration and co-creation; field studies, experiments; analysis and modelling; and stakeholder meetings. The project activities generate a range of outputs listed as: Reports, guidance, briefings and policy papers; use of farm demonstrators/living labs to demonstrate and incentivise uptake of innovative, best practise; decision support tools; case studies; enhancing technology readiness levels; website/online resources. These outputs are co-created to ensure they deliver outcomes in the form of: Better targeted and designed government/policy interventions; enhanced and wider uptake of best practice; adoption of new technologies and processes to enhance economic and environmental outcomes; increased rural development, job creation, community resilience. The outcomes in turn support our Missions of: Restoring nature & protecting our environment; Delivering climate-positive & resilient landscapes; Enhancing Rural and Island communities; Building the circular economy; and Delivering sustainable and regenerative agriculture and food systems.

We envision achieving impact within our Missions by delivering the following outcomes, detailed in Sections 3.1-3.3 below:

3.1 Decision Support for Policy Impact

The ENRA research programme plays a critical role in supporting evidence-based policy making across land use, agriculture, land reform and natural capital. A key priority for the next programme will be to ensure that data and modelling across the programme are well-integrated and responsive to evolving policy needs, providing robust decision support. This was a key recommendation of the ENRA Science Advisory Board (SAB) and the First Ministers’ Environmental Council (FMEC)^[4]. Currently, decision support tools are lacking in key areas. Modelling and data use is fragmented, preventing systems approaches to decision making.

A new data and modelling framework for the 2027-2032 Research Programme (Annex C: ENRA Strategy for Decision Support ) is being developed for the programme which will:

• Develop options for more collaborative and interoperable decision-making capability across the programme.
• Support greater standardisation of data management, quality assurance and data reliability practices, to promote greater data sharing and collaboration.
• Deliver enhanced governance and communications arrangements that support greater collaboration across the research-policy interface.
• Support the effective utilisation of the outputs from the Scottish Land LiDAR programme to facilitate better targeted policy interventions and optimise land-use, and to ensure appropriate links are made to other earth observation projects within Scottish Government such as coastal monitoring.

Case study - Helping Scotland's farming sector transition towards net zero

Scotland's agriculture has a critical role to play in supporting rural economies and helping the country achieve net zero. To support this transition in a just way, appropriate evidence on measures to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is needed from the national to the farm scale. Research funded by the ENRA research programme (2022-27) and undertaken by Scotland's Rural College (SRUC) has used national scale integrative modelling and analytical methods to identify practical farm level changes to reduce GHG emissions.

This has included detailed farm level modelling of suckler beef systems to identify options for improving efficiency and reducing emissions – e.g. faster finishing times, reduced calving intervals. This work has helped to identify farm measures which would simultaneously reduce farm cost and GHG emissions per animal. Results from this modelling have been used to inform Scotland's Agricultural Reform Programme, in the development of the Committee on Climate Change’s 7th National Carbon Budget and in industry by informing the Institute of Grocery Distribution's Net Zero Plan for the food sector.

3.2 Enhanced and wider uptake of good practice for producers/land managers

The scientific research in the programme is targeted at filling knowledge gaps identified in land use and land management. At present, sustainable farming practices/land use approaches are being tested by land managers/farmers. However, this is often at a local/individual farm level meaning it is difficult to assess the scalability of specific practices, which may be more suited to specific environments. We know that peer-to-peer transmission is critical in land manager uptake of new initiatives and so needs to be central to our systems if we want to effect change.

Living Labs can address this challenge. By moving scientific knowledge into practical action they help drive adoption of good practice, allowing researchers and producers to co-create realistic land use solutions.^[5] An example of how Living Labs are currently used in the ENRA Research Programme is provided in the case study box below.

Through the 2027-2032 programme we will:

• Support the formation of a network of living lab initiatives, which are codeveloped with researchers, users and communities to help deliver sustainable land use and land management practices across Scotland.
• Drive innovation in sustainable practices by providing a testbed for new tools and technologies aimed at improving animal, plant and ecosystem health.
• Use living labs to inform government policy and disseminate good practice guidance to land users and communities on sustainability.

Case study – Living Lab

The Lewis & Harris Animal Health and Welfare Project is a successful example of a living lab approach to tackle livestock diseases, particularly sheep scab.

Funded through the ENRA research programme and co-developed with crofters, vets, scientists, and regulators, it shows how working in partnership and putting communities at the heart of decision-making can lead to practical improvements in animal health.

The project included workshops, flock testing, and joint treatment campaigns— helping over 500 crofters and treating more than 60,000 sheep. It also trialed simple at-home worm testing kits, giving crofters the tools to manage parasites more effectively and reduce resistance to treatments.

The project led to real benefits: better animal welfare, improved biosecurity, more sustainable land use, and stronger community wellbeing. It was recognised in the Place-based Impact category at the 2025 Scottish Knowledge Exchange Awards.

Its success has sparked wider change, including a new network for disease control across Lewis, Harris, Orkney, and Shetland. Building on this, a new project led by Moredun and funded through SEFARI is now working with Orkney communities to co-create research that supports both farming and the environment.

3.3 Adoption of new research, technologies and innovations

Innovation is critical to delivering the Missions of this programme and more broadly to deliver economic growth in a competitive environment. New vaccines, practices and diagnostics are needed to support animal and plant health as novel diseases are spread by climate change. New breeds of plants and animals are required to deliver food production resilience to changing climate. Innovative approaches can accelerate the embedding of circular economy practice / approaches, for instance the use of ‘Green Sheds’ to capture ruminant methane emissions and generate power. eDNA technology has the potential to build better national maps of biodiversity, and hence support action by NatureScot, Forestry and Land Scotland, and other land managers. This research would complement ongoing eDNA initiatives within the Marine Directorate, fostering alignment across terrestrial and marine environments. LiDAR has the potential to accelerate mapping and restoration of peatlands. New codes of practice such as the Peatland Carbon Code have supported investment in natural capital.

The ENRA research programme will aim to deliver and expand innovation pathways, reduce barriers to uptake of innovations and support their adoption and commercialisation. Through the 2027-2032 programme we will:

• Support research to enhance the readiness of innovations, including technology, user, market, societal and regulatory readiness.
• Develop an ENRA innovation strategy, building on the experiences of the MRPs, and supporting the sharing of good practice in commercialisation.
• Nurture links between researchers and commercial partners to enhance collaboration around research and development, particularly in agri-tech and bio-tech areas, and making use of living labs.
• Build links to dedicated enterprise and development agencies in Scotland, the UK and globally to stimulate development.