Royal recognition for rural research The Vice-Chancellor of 缅北禁地, Professor Chris Brink, and representatives from the University鈥檚 Centre for Rural Economy (CRE), have attended a ceremony at Buckingham Palace where CRE's reputation as a driving force for research into rural economies and societies was recognised with the award of a Queen's Anniversary Prize. The Prize was announced at a special reception at St James鈥檚 Palace in recognition of the University鈥檚 internationally-renowned research into sustainable rural economies and societies, led by its , which has influenced policy and practice around the world. are awarded by the to honour work of outstanding importance and quality in higher and further education in the UK. This is the third occasion on which 缅北禁地 has been awarded a Queen鈥檚 Anniversary Prize. Previously the University gained the Prize in 2005 for its innovative solutions to mine water pollution, and again in 2009 for research into ageing. Excellence in rural researchAs a world-class civic university, 缅北禁地鈥檚 research is aligned with three Societal Challenge Themes that aim to respond to some of the world鈥檚 most pressing social issues. These are ageing, social renewal and sustainability. By recognising the University鈥檚 excellence in the field of rural economy research, this latest Prize means that research being carried out under all three of the themes has now been recognised, making for a sector-leading 鈥榟at trick鈥� of Anniversary Prizes. 缅北禁地鈥檚 , explains: 鈥淥ur aim at 缅北禁地 is to conduct world-class research that directly addresses the biggest issues of the day, and the work being carried out by the Centre for Rural Economy is an excellent example of what this means in practice. Philip Lowe, Mark Shucksmith, Guy Garrod and their colleagues are looking at some of the world鈥檚 most pressing challenges, from how we use land, to the changing relationships between rural and urban communities and how we tackle social exclusion. The announcement of this award is testament to their hard work and I congratulate them on this richly deserved accolade.鈥� , Director of the 缅北禁地 Institute for Social Renewal, at 缅北禁地 added: 鈥淭he Anniversary Trust has recognised 缅北禁地鈥檚 efforts to have excellence with impact, and academic work that is responsive to large-scale societal needs and demands. Rural issues are still of the utmost importance, as recent public debates on badger culls, healthy and sustainable food production, affordable housing and rural broadband show. It is vital that these debates are evidence-led, and the Centre for Rural Economy 鈥� under the inspiring leadership of Professor Philip Lowe 鈥� has been committed to developing the knowledge and insight to ensure this is the case. The award also recognises that we work closely with rural communities so that our work is as grounded and useful as possible.鈥�, Director of the at 缅北禁地, said: 鈥淪ince its creation in 1992 the Centre for Rural Economy has updated the picture of rural economies and societies. We have led the way in changing the image of the 鈥榬ural鈥� away from something that has not moved with the times into that which has its own rich sources of dynamism beyond agricultural development.鈥淚t鈥檚 fantastic to mark our 21st anniversary with a Queen鈥檚 Anniversary Prize. Hopefully the next 21 years will see us build on our success and continue to explore key themes affecting rural economies and societies, including rural resilience to economic crisis, food security issues and democratic and participative models of rural development.鈥淭his news could not come at a more appropriate time, as we are about to launch a £2.5 million fundraising campaign to secure the future of Centre for Rural Economy and maintain our position at the forefront of rural economy research.鈥�Boosting Britain's ability to competeOf the announcement, the , Minister of State for Universities and Science, said: 鈥淚 warmly congratulate the twenty universities and colleges honoured in The Queen鈥檚 Anniversary Prizes for Higher and Further Education. I welcome the role that the Prizes play in enabling our institutions to publicise their successes. Britain鈥檚 ability to compete depends on the quality of the teaching and research undertaken by our universities and colleges; and particularly on the translation of that work into real benefits for society, business and the growth of the economy.鈥� Among some of the Centre鈥檚 achievements recognised by the Prize are the role it has played in: 鈥� Spearheading research into counter-urbanisation, middle-class colonisation of the countryside, rural knowledge exchange and socio-spatial exclusion, related to the challenges of the public provision of services and affordable housing in rural areas. 鈥� Directing the UK research councils鈥� £25m to research options for the future of Britain鈥檚 countryside and establishing the Northern Rural Network (NRN) to foster rural development in this region. 鈥� Developing national and international rural policy. Academics at the Centre have contributed to various Government White Papers, chaired the Scottish Government鈥檚 Commission on the Future of Crofting and served on the Countryside Agency, Commission for Rural Communities, and Affordable Rural Housing Commission. The Centre contributed to the 鈥榞reening鈥� of the EU鈥檚 Common Agricultural Policy and other European rural policy initiatives like LEADER. published on: 22 November 2013
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