When research goes out into the field

How can we ensure that good, affordable and, at the same time, sustainable food ends up on our tables? And how can the agricultural sector, the processing industry, the retail sector and consumers collaborate more effectively to achieve this? One answer lies in so-called ‘real-world laboratories’: research projects that take place directly in real-world settings, for example on farms, in processing plants, or in nurseries, schools and hospitals. However, for them to be successful, certain conditions must be met.

Real-world laboratories offer a great opportunity: genuine co-creation. People from the agricultural sector, businesses, administration and civil society work together with the research community to develop solutions designed to work in everyday life. But when many stakeholders come together, it also means that many different interests and circumstances come into play.

The German Research Foundation (DFG) has now published a statement in which it outlines the conditions under which real-world laboratories function effectively in agricultural, food and nutrition research. Professor Dr Jana Rückert-John from Fulda University of Applied Sciences played a key role in drafting the paper, which was produced by the DFG’s Standing Senate Commission on the Transformation of Agricultural and Food Systems (SKAE). She has been a member of the committee since its establishment in January 2024 and serves as its deputy spokesperson.

A shared testing ground: developing solutions together

The Fulda-based food sociologist makes the following statement: “Real-world laboratories are a shared testing ground: researchers formulate research questions together with the people affected, trial solutions and learn, step by step, what works and what does not.” Real-world laboratories therefore bring together stakeholders who would otherwise usually work separately: research, agriculture, enterprise, politics, administration and civil society. Problems are identified jointly, and solutions are developed and tested together. “These could include, for example, new cultivation and marketing channels for pulses, or approaches to healthier and more sustainable catering in nurseries, schools or hospitals.”

However, in its statement, the DFG committee also emphasises that such formats require more time and reliable framework conditions than traditional research projects. After all, cooperation, coordination and trust do not develop overnight. “Short-term project durations and the usual academic incentive systems are proving to be ill-suited to real-world laboratories,” says Professor Rückert-John. “If we want solutions to be implemented in everyday life, real-world laboratories must be supported in the long term, and the labour-intensive work involved in such cooperations must be recognised.”

A task for society as a whole

The Commission therefore recommends long-term funding horizons of at least ten years. Furthermore, funding should not come solely from the usual research programmes, but should be understood as a task for society as a whole and supported jointly by the scientific community, politics, business and society. “The transformation of our agricultural and food systems is a task that we can only tackle together. To achieve this, real-world laboratories need reliable structures and funding that does justice to this ambition,” said Professor Rückert-John.

A bridge between the laboratory and everyday life

With this statement, the DFG contributes to helping real-world laboratories better harness their strengths and more closely integrate research and practice, from field to fork. “Research often takes place under controlled conditions in the laboratory or in traditional experimental set-ups. Real-world laboratories bring it into everyday life, where many factors interact simultaneously. It is only here that we can see whether new approaches can actually be implemented,” emphasises the Fulda-based professor.

The Standing Senate Commission on the Transformation of Agricultural and Food Systems (SKAE) provides advisory services to target groups from politics, academia and society on developments in the context of the transformation of agricultural and food systems. The Committee currently comprises 18 researchers from various disciplines, as well as permanent guests from research institutions.

The SKAE’s statement can be found at