Co-operative research (CR) is a form of inquiry, which involves both researchers and non-researchers in a close co-operative engagement with the aim to produce knowledge together. In contrast to multi- or inter-disciplinary research, where people from different academic disciplines work together, co-operative research is based on a trans-disciplinary concept. Trans-disciplinarity means that non-scientific actors from civil society are involved in research going beyond the usual public engagement. CR is characterised by a strong ‘upstream’ approach, which means that the engagement occurs at a very early stage in the research process. In the case of FAAN the CSO partners are not only involved in carrying out research, but already earlier. They contribute to setting up research questions, in developing the research design, and finally in setting up recommendations for further research needs.

CR is especially relevant for investigating complex issues from everyday life, which are of high societal relevance. This can be taken up with trans-disciplinary research approaches, and worked on by developing appropriate methods to integrate different forms of knowledge and expertise, which is segmented into different scientific fields and different fields of practical knowledge. As a rule, actors with different perspectives, backgrounds, interests and work styles encounter each other within a process of social learning.

FAAN is a social experiment in science governance through trans-disciplinary engagement of civil society people in research at the earliest stage in the process. This upstream approach will identify further research relevant to AAFNs, in order to inform future research agendas. The project will contribute substantially to the evidence base and the understanding necessary to foster more desirable types of agricultural innovation within the European Community, and we will point out how policy frameworks could better facilitate such improvements.

Finally we will evaluate the co-operative research process of FAAN in order to identify the strengths and weakness of CR related to AAFNs. We will compare the applied qualitative research methods to see how valid and reliable they are in this context. A comparative approach of national experiences will help to identify best practises in research methods as well as AAFNs management and policies.