Transforming Land Use for Net Zero, Nature and People (LUNZ)

UK Research and Innovation, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and the Devolved Administrations are delighted to announce the launch of a new, interdisciplinary and co-developed research programme entitled Transforming Land use for Net Zero, Nature and People (LUNZ). This community launch webinar will introduce the programme and provide potential applicants with an opportunity to ask the funders questions.

The webinar will be recorded and made available on the UKRI funding finder for those unable to attend live.

The aim of the Transforming land use for net zero, nature and people (LUNZ) programme is to mobilise and support research that works in partnership with government and industry to tackle net zero through action in the UK land sectors.

The programme will fund research that feeds directly into policy and decision-making in three interlinked themes – soil health, agricultural systems and land use change.

Consortia will be expected to form relationships with Government, industry and other stakeholders to develop and explore plausible and innovative pathways to net zero across these three themes that:

· Are adapted to the impacts of climate change;

· Provide societal and environmental benefits; and

· Meet policy commitments of the UK government and Devolved Administrations such as those set out in the 2023 Environment Improvement Plan.

In doing so the programme will seek to fast-track the uptake of research outputs back into policy and decision-making, whilst adding value to relevant previous and other current programmes such as the Farming Innovations programme, Greenhouse Gas Removal Demonstrators programme, Transforming UK Food Systems SPF, Agri-food net zero Network+ (Agrifood4Netzero.), UK Treescapes Programme, etc.

A draft agenda is shown below: