A new EU survey of rural and agricultural stakeholders found a number of shortcomings when it came to generating value from research and innovation (R&I) in the sector.

According to the report issued by the Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development (DG AGRI), only 36% of respondents strongly or somewhat agreed on the current effectiveness of dissemination, take-up and use of R&I results in agriculture, forestry and rural areas.

The report said that this revealed “a clear need for action to accelerate the uptake of knowledge and innovation in these areas”.

The survey was conducted as part of European Commission preparations for a new EU strategic approach to R&I for “competitive, resilient and sustainable agriculture, forestry and rural areas”.

This initiative was first announced in the Vision for Agriculture and Food, presented in February 2025.

The commission said the initiative “will provide an updated, inclusive and actionable framework to help future-proof agriculture, forestry and rural areas through research and innovation, while supporting competitive, resilient and sustainable agri-food systems, forests and rural communities across the union”.

The new 'Strategic Approach' will update and replace the current approach for agricultural R&I, which has been in place since 2016, according to the commission.

Open consultation

The survey saw farmers, foresters, rural actors, researchers, businesses, non-government organisations (NGOs), citizens, and public authorities share views on future R&I priorities, as well as how to strengthen the innovation ecosystem, and support faster uptake of innovation on the ground.

The survey ran from 15 December 2025 to 25 January 2026. A total of 701 replies were received.

The consultation covered five main areas: 

R&I as an enabler of the Vision for Agriculture and Food;
Strengthening the EU R&I ecosystem;
Accelerating the uptake of new knowledge and innovation;
Stronger cooperation in Europe and beyond;
Future thematic priorities and approaches for R&I.

The report stated that feedback from the participants helped identify key challenges, opportunities and priority areas for research and innovation

It also "informed work on strengthening the uptake of knowledge and innovation by farmers, foresters and rural actors, and on improving the pathway from research to start-ups, scale-ups and SMEs so that results can be better valorised and more easily reach the market".

"The results showed broad support for a more comprehensive and forward-looking approach, including stronger innovation uptake and better support for the journey from research to market."

Open consultation results

The current Strategic Approach to EU agricultural R&I from 2016 had four objectives:

Ensuring long-term food security;
Addressing the environmental sustainability and resilience of competitive land-based primary production for food and non-food systems;
Boosting sustainable growth of rural territories;
Improving the delivery of research results for policymaking.

The report showed 92% of respondents considered these four objectives still highly or somewhat relevant.

Respondents were also asked to assess the extent to which a new strategic approach should contribute a range of aspects.

These included: attracting new generations; strengthening competitiveness; encouraging the uptake of innovation; and generating new opportunities through bioeconomy, circularity, and nature-based solutions towards a climate-neutral and nature-positive economy

Up to 94% of respondents supported the exception of the scope of the strategic approach to cover the suggested areas.

Stakeholders were also asked whether the EU R&I ecosystem sufficiently supports generating value through the creation and scaling of startups, small and medium-sized enterprise development, strategic infrastructure investments, and seamless investment journeys from research to commercialisation.

Only 31% believe that there is adequate support for a seamless investment journey, pointing to "systemic shortcomings".

When replying to an open question, 248 respondents (35.4%) also proposed a range of ideas.

These included: targeted incentives to reward early adopters (for example, through CAP instruments, risk-sharing mechanisms, and outcome-based payments); enhanced education and capacity building; greater engagement of farmers, advisers and end-users; and closer alignment of research outcomes with territorial needs.