People, Knowledge & Community
Research, Trials & Open Data
Farms as research sites, with the data flowing both ways.
Publicly funded agricultural research produces results that rarely reach the farms that need them, and farms generate data that rarely reaches the researchers who could use it. This module connects the two: on-farm trial hosting, structured protocols, consented data contribution and plain-language access to published findings relevant to the holding.
- 12 capabilities
- 3 linked schemes
- Offline capable
- 12
- Capabilities in this module
- 5
- Interactive tools
- 3
- Linked support schemes
- 5
- Data integrations
- 5
- Measures reported
The ground reality
What is actually happening in research & data in the UK
Innovation funding runs through farmer-led programmes designed to move practice from research into use, and the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 creates powers for Smart Data schemes with agrifood named as a candidate sector. That combination makes consented, structured farm data contribution both technically feasible and strategically valuable.
Figures are as published at the time of writing. Farm policy and payment rates change frequently — verify against the primary source before relying on any number here.
In the field
Research & data, as it actually looks
Photography from working UK holdings alongside the interface that records it. Every frame below is a commissioned slot: the brief is stated until the photograph is taken.
Research & Data — a walkthrough
A working pass through research & data: entering the record once, and watching it appear in the evidence pack, the calendar and the scheme application without being typed again.
- 0:00 What the module is for
- 0:48 Entering the record
- 2:05 Where it appears next
- 3:20 The evidence pack
Photography slots state their own brief until the shot is commissioned, so the layout never shifts when real images arrive.
Capabilities
What Research & Data does
Every capability below is built on the same underlying record, so entering something once is enough for it to appear wherever it is needed.
Record and plan
- On-farm trial hosting with protocol, layout and measurement requirements
- Trial recruitment matching researchers to suitable holdings
- Structured measurement capture following the trial protocol
Operate and monitor
- Consented anonymised data contribution with granular controls
- Data contribution register showing exactly what was shared and with whom
- Plain-language research summaries filtered to your enterprises and region
Comply and evidence
- Research funding opportunity alerts for farmer-led programmes
- Collaboration workspace between farms, researchers and advisers
- Results publication with honest reporting of null and negative findings
Analyse and improve
- Open dataset access for platform-derived aggregate statistics
- Citizen science protocol delivery at scale
- Data portability so a farm can take its own data elsewhere
Interactive
Tools you actually use, not screens you read
These are working interfaces inside the module — maps, calculators, planners and dashboards that respond to your own holding data.
Trial opportunity board matching your enterprises to open research calls
Trial opportunity board matching your enterprises to open research calls
DashboardConsent manager with granular control over what is shared
Consent manager with granular control over what is shared
ToolResearch summary feed filtered to your cropping and livestock
Research summary feed filtered to your cropping and livestock
ToolTrial protocol tracker with measurement due dates
Trial protocol tracker with measurement due dates
ToolContribution register showing your data sharing history
Contribution register showing your data sharing history
ToolEnd to end
How Research & Data runs, start to finish
The module is modelled as a state machine, so at any point the business knows exactly which stage every record is at and what has to happen next.
-
1
Register interest and enterprise profile
This is where the record starts, and getting it right here removes work at every later stage.
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2
Match to open trial and research opportunities
The platform prompts only for what this stage genuinely needs, and carries everything forward.
-
3
Agree the protocol and consent terms
Conflicts with scheme rules, regulatory windows and existing commitments are flagged here rather than discovered later.
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4
Deliver the trial and capture measurements
Capture works offline, so this stage is completed in the field rather than remembered afterwards.
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5
Contribute consented data
Everything recorded at this point becomes evidence automatically, in every format that will later ask for it.
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6
Receive results in plain language
This is the stage most businesses currently do twice, once for the operation and once for the paperwork.
-
7
Apply findings on the holding
Results feed the whole-farm view, so the effect of this stage is visible against the rest of the business.
-
8
Review and renew consent
The cycle closes here, and what is learned is carried into next season's plan rather than lost.
Who uses it
Built around four real jobs, not one generic user
Each of these people needs something different from the same record. The module is designed so none of them has to work around the others.
Innovative farmer
Hosting trials
Wants results back in a usable form, not just to supply a site.
Agricultural researcher
Field experiments
Needs suitable sites and consistent measurement.
Levy body analyst
Sector statistics
Needs consented aggregate data at scale.
Policy analyst
Evidence for scheme design
Needs real practice and outcome data rather than modelled assumptions.
Schemes and funding
Support schemes this module works with
Agrivencia holds these schemes as data, so eligibility, payment rates, caps and windows update the day they change rather than at the next software release.
Farming Innovation Programme
Fund research and development that solves practical problems for farmers and growers.
Defra with Innovate UK EnglandAccelerating Development of Practices and Technologies
Fund farmer-led on-farm trials of practices and technologies.
Defra with delivery partners ScotlandKnowledge Transfer and Innovation Fund
Fund knowledge transfer, skills development and innovation activity in Scottish agriculture.
Scottish GovernmentRates, caps and windows change frequently and sometimes without notice. Always confirm against the current published scheme rules before applying.
Measurement
How you will know it is working
The module reports against these measures from the day it is switched on, so the value is demonstrable rather than assumed.
- 01Trials hosted
- 02Data contributions consented
- 03Research summaries read and applied
- 04Practice changes attributed to research
- 05Null results published
Work
Roles on UK holdings
Permanent, seasonal and contract work, with the pay basis and the statutory position stated plainly — including where the Seasonal Worker visa route applies and what it obliges an employer to do.
| Role | Type | Pay basis | What to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Herdsperson | Permanent | Salary | Accommodation often part of the package; the offset rules are specific. |
| Tractor driver | Seasonal | Hourly | Working time and rest break rules apply during harvest. |
| Harvest operative | Seasonal | Hourly | Seasonal Worker visa route where applicable. |
| Agronomy assistant | Permanent | Salary | BASIS training usually expected within the first year. |
| Relief milker | Contract | Per milking | Self-employed status must be genuine; the tests are strict. |
| Farm secretary | Part time | Hourly | Often shared across several holdings. |
What an employer has to do
- National Minimum and Living Wage Rates change each April. Accommodation offset is capped and counts toward the calculation.
- Agricultural Wages Order Still in force in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, with different grades and rates in each.
- Right to work checks Required before the first day, with a statutory excuse only if done correctly.
- Employer's liability insurance Compulsory, and the certificate must be accessible to employees.
- Gangmaster licensing Required for labour providers in agriculture; using an unlicensed provider is an offence.
Find
Find advisers and consultants
Filter by type, nation, distance and accreditation. Results are ranked by relevance to your holding once your holding record exists, and alphabetically before that.
6 records shown from the platform’s own register
- Module Education, Skills & CPD Core
- Module Knowledge Exchange & Farmer Clusters Core
- Module Jobs, Labour & Seasonal Workers Core
- Module Community, Forums & Expert Q&A Core
- Module Rural Wellbeing & Farm Safety Core
- Module Research, Trials & Open Data Core
Questions answered
What people ask about Research & Data
Does this replace the software I already use?
Not necessarily. Agrivencia integrates with authoritative sources and mainstream packages rather than insisting on replacing them. Where an incumbent does one job well, the platform connects to it; where the job spans several systems and nobody does it, the platform does it.
Will it work where I have no signal?
Yes. Field capture in Research & Data is offline first, storing locally and synchronising when a connection returns. Only around a fifth of UK farms report reliable signal across the whole holding, so this is a design assumption rather than a feature.
What happens when the scheme rules change?
Scheme rules are held as data rather than code, so a rate change, a cap change or a window closure is a content update that takes effect the same day. The platform also alerts you to what the change does to your own position.
Who owns the data I put in?
You do. The Farm Data Charter gives you a complete export in open formats at any time, and every instance of data sharing requires an explicit, revocable consent that is visible in your account.
Does it work if I farm across a border?
Yes, and that is one of the main reasons the platform exists. A business with land in more than one nation sees one reconciled view rather than two portals, with obligations and deadlines from both administrations in a single calendar.
Can my agronomist or land agent use it too?
Yes. You grant scoped, time-limited access per holding and per module, and you can revoke it in one click. Advisers never get a shared password or a blanket view.
What is the biggest limitation of this module?
Data used beyond the consented purpose. Mitigated by granular, revocable consent and a visible contribution register. We would rather state that plainly than let you discover it after signing.
Documents
Take it away with you
Everything here is printable and works on a kitchen table with no signal. Where a document asks for an email address, it says so on the button rather than after you press it.
Farms as Research Sites: Hosting Trials and Contributing Data on Your Terms
The practical handbook for research & data: what the rules require, what the evidence has to show, and the mistakes that cost people money.
research & data — evidence checklist
Every document an audit or a claim asks for, in the order it is asked for, with the validity period of each.
research & data — record template
The record structure the module uses, as a spreadsheet, so a business not yet on the platform can start keeping it correctly today.
Data model reference
Entities, fields and integration points for research & data, for advisers and software partners.
See Research & Data running on your own holding
Thirty minutes, using your parcels, your schemes and your enterprises rather than a sample farm. No obligation and no sales script — if it does not fit your business we will say so.
- Free tier available
- No card required
- Your data stays yours