Scottish Rural Development Programme 2014-2020: Knowledge Transfer and Innovation Fund evaluation

Introduction

Knowledge transfer and innovation play a critical role in the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), helping to pivot European member states to a more sustainable model of agriculture. Within the Scottish Rural Development Programme (SRDP), knowledge transfer and innovation in agriculture was supported by the Knowledge Transfer and Innovation Fund (KTIF). This report evaluates KTIF by considering what KTIF achieved, how it operated, and what can be learned from KTIF that can contribute to the development of future knowledge transfer and innovation support for agriculture in Scotland.

This evaluation covers the SRDP 2014-2020 timeframe for KTIF, and therefore extends to cover the period from 2015 (first EU co-financed KTIF projects) to the end of EU co-financing for KTIF in 2021. KTIF continues to operate as a wholly nationally funded scheme.

Overview of KTIF

The Knowledge Transfer and Innovation Fund (KTIF) aims to help translate ongoing work in research and development in Scotland, as well as research conducted throughout Europe, into on-the-ground improvements in agriculture.

KTIF can be split into two components; a knowledge transfer component and an innovation component, each with distinct aims and procedures.

Various schemes, including KTIF, were part of the SRDP 2014-2020 which delivered Pillar 2 of the EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). Pillar 2 took the form of rural development programmes (RDP) and was co-financed by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD).

When designing their RDPs, EU members could choose from twenty broad measures which are further broken down to sub-measures. The relevant measures and sub-measures that applied to KTIF were:

• Measure 1: Knowledge transfer and information actions
  • Sub-measure 1.1: support for vocational training and skills acquisition actions
• Measure 16: Cooperation
  • Sub-measure 16.1: support for the establishment and operation of operational groups of the European Innovation Partnership (EIP) for agricultural productivity and sustainability

These measures can be directed towards one or more of the EAFRD’s priority areas. The relevant priority and focus areas for KTIF were:

• Priority 2: Farm viability and competitiveness
  • Focus Area 2A: Improving the economic performance of all farms and facilitating farm restructuring and modernisation
• Priority / Focus Area 4: Restoring, preserving and enhancing ecosystems
• Priority 5: Resource-efficient, climate-resilient economy
  • Focus Area 5B: Increasing efficiency in energy use in agriculture and food processing

Aims of KTIF

KTIF has two main aims. Firstly, the knowledge transfer component aims to promote skills development and knowledge transfer in the primary agricultural sector. The scheme is intended to respond to skills development and knowledge transfer needs identified by the farming industry, as represented by industry organisations and related bodies.

KTIF is intended to achieve this by providing financial support for vocational training, skills development, and knowledge transfer projects with a focus on agriculture. This may be delivered through various means including workshops, training courses, coaching, and farm visits.

Secondly, the innovation component aims to deliver innovative on-the-ground improvements in agricultural competitiveness, resource efficiency, environmental performance and sustainability. Innovation may be technological, but also non-technological, organisational or social. Innovation may be based on new but also on traditional practices in a new geographical or environmental context.

KTIF is intended to achieve this through meeting the running costs of operational groups that are seeking to implement innovative projects in these areas.

All these aims are cross-cutting, and intended to contribute towards the following four European Union Rural Development Regulation objectives:

• Fostering knowledge transfer and innovation in agriculture
• Enhancing competitiveness
• Restoring, preserving and enhancing ecosystems
• Promoting resource efficiency and supporting the shift to a low-carbon climate resistant economy

Simple intervention logic charts can be found in Annex A. These outline the underlying rationale for the two elements of the funding scheme (knowledge transfer and innovation), and what they were expected to achieve. More detailed logic model charts can be found in Annex B outlining the inputs, activities, outputs, and outcomes for both knowledge transfer and innovation projects.

Structure of the report

The structure of the report is as follows:

• Chapter 2 explains the methodology, including research questions, methods and data sources used, ethics, analysis, data limitations and quality assurance.
• Chapter 3 discusses the evaluation findings. It covers the application process; financial information; project delivery; project outcomes; strategic focus and scope; and Monitor Farms.
• Chapter 4 provides a conclusion and outlines lessons learned.
• Annexes provide information on the intervention logic, logic models, fieldwork materials (interview schedule and overview of participants), and funded projects.