Press release

25 May 2009
For immediate release

RURAL NETWORK FORMS PARTNERSHIP
WITH BIRKBECK COLLEGE

THE Rural Services Network [1] has agreed an exciting new collaboration with the Rural Evidence Research Centre [2], Birkbeck College, University of London.

Working with Professor John Shepherd, who led the process fo developing the rural-urban definition for Defra in 2004, the network has secured the following services for RSN members:

• Development of a unique, bespoke course focused on rural service delivery, bringing together Birkbeck academic expertise with real practitioner insights
• A free enquiry service which supplements our "Ask an Expert" offer through access to Birkbeck's research resources
• Subsidised research facilities comprising a partnership between Birkbeck and Globe Economic Development Consultants [3] at 15% less than their market rates
• On line access to the resources within Birkbeck's Rural Evidence Research Centre including very competitive rates for GIS mapping
• A refreshed RSN academic network comprising two meetings per year at Birkbeck College and open to all members free of charge - where academics from across England can showcase and discuss their latest rural research ideas

The first Rural Service Delivery one-day course is due to be held in late summer 2009. All RSN individual contacts will be sent details in the next few weeks.

The next academic network meeting is scheduled for 1 July and an agenda will be posted on RSN Online shortly.

Welcoming the new relationship, Professor Shepherd said: "The Rural Evidence Research Centre at Birkbeck very much welcomes this opportunity to join with RSN and Globe to deliver high quality research and training in support of better rural policy making.

"We will build on the insights of our applications of the rural_urban definition over the last five years to generate better understanding of how the settlement system (rural and urban) actually works."

RSN chief officer Graham Biggs said: "We see this as a very significant new range of service benefits which attaches to membership of the network, enhancing further the value for money of membership.

"We are particularly excited about the training and development opportunity the bespoke training courses on rural service delivery offers to practitioners and rural policy staff of member organisations"

If you would like to know more about this new collaboration, contact Professor Shepherd at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or David Inman at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Notes to editors:

1. The Rural Services Network is the coalition of over 80 of England's most rural local authorities and 150 other public service providers and rural interest groups. For details, see: www.rsnonline.org.uk.

2. The Rural Evidence Research Centre (RERC) was established by the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) to provide innovative, multi-disciplinary research to support the development of policy for the social and economic regeneration of rural England. It is now a self-funding research centre at Birkbeck College, University of London. For details, see: www.rerc.ac.uk.

3. Globe Economic Development Consultants specialises in socio-economic development in rural, coastal and historic environments. It works to facilitate and support organisational, partnership and governance change. For details, see: www.globelimited.co.uk.