This new initiative aims to build the rural knowledge base in South East England by addressing critical issues in the ield of rural sustainability. Speciically, the partnership’s role is to broker and bring together new  communities and collaborations of key policy-makers, rural stakeholder groups and multi-disciplinary teams of researchers.  The aim  is to encourage the generation and use of new research evidence to inform rural policy-making.

‘A Breath of Fresh Air’ – the partnership’s oicial launch event, was held in London on 24 April.  This provided a successful prelude  o the partnership’s activities and promoted relationships between the region’s rural stakeholders. The keynote speaker at the event was Dr Stuart Burgess, the Government’s Rural Advocate.  Other speakers included Valerie Carter, Rural Director for the South East of England Development Agency (SEEDA) and SEEDA’s Chief Scientist and Head of Innovation, Dr Ed Metcalfe.

The partnership now has a part-time co-ordinator, Dr Anja Ueberjahn-Tritta, who is based at Forest Research’s oices at Alice Holt.  his autumn, the RRSP will organise a number of research workshops on some of the rural sectors’ ‘hot topics’ with the aim of engaging researchers and stakeholders and stimulating new research projects and collaborations.
More details on upcoming events, as well as more general information about the partnership, including the launch event’s summary of proceedings, can be found online at
www.forestresearch.gov.uk/rrsp