Operationalizing Demand-Driven Agricultural Research: Institutional Influences in a Public and Private System of Research Planning in The Netherlands

ABSTRACT The trend towards demand-driven agricultural research has focused attention on the inclusion of farmers in research planning. Theoretically, this should enhance ownership and increase the applicability of research. However, in practice, several tensions emerge with regard to the operationalization of such `user-driven research planning systems¿, and this paper aims to address these. The paper analyzes a public and private research planning system by means of a comparative qualitative case study approach focusing on institutional aspects of research planning systems. While the systems have different approaches, the tensions are quite similar, dealing with the different and often limited perspectives on innovation of the actors involved, different progress monitoring and output evaluation criteria, and information asymmetries between the actor groups which influence there capacity to successfully act in the research planning system. The analysis prompts the importance of synchronizing perspectives on innovation and capacity building among all actors to enable them to successfully operate demand-driven research planning platforms. KEY WORDS: Demand-driven research, Research planning, The Netherlands, Agricultural innovation systems