The Institute for Rural Futures was founded in August 2000 as an independent research centre at the University of New England. Staff of the Institute have come from the Rural Development Centre and the Centre for Bioregional Resource Management. Both of these organisations were previously located on the campus of the University of New England.

The formation of the Institute has brought together two organisations with established reputations in their own fields of research. The Rural Development Centre was founded as the Kellogg Rural Adjustment Unit in 1976, its purpose being to encourage the exchange of information and views relating to structural change in rural industries and the effect of this on rural communities.

In the 1980s, with the end of Kellogg Foundation funding, the Rural Development Centre began to undertake applied socio-economic research and consultancy. During the 1990s, the Centre broadened its expertise to include professional staff with experience in such areas as agricultural economics, agricultural extension, farm management, agricultural education, social welfare and service delivery and rural environmental policy.

The Centre for Bioregional Resource Management was established in 1997 to study and advance policies for integrated management of whole landscape regions. Bioregions have common social and ecological attributes. The Centre quickly gained recognition for ground-breaking work, and international status as one of three UNESCO research centres in Australia.

The Institute undertakes applied, policy relevant research on the pressures of change on rural and regional Australia. Research at the Institute is particularly concerned with the economic, social and environmental impacts of change. A wide range of interdisciplinary projects is undertaken within four thematic areas. In the five years since its inception in 2000, staff of the Institute have completed almost 90 projects attracting $6m in funding.

Last modified:Apr 20th, 2006
Updated by Michael Coleman