Summary

Dina was initiated in 1991 when the Internet was still an exotic phenomenon in Denmark. But IT technologies were developing rapidly, and there was a growing need for advancing computer science methods in the agricultural sector. The purpose of Dina was to form a network connecting universities, research institutions, advisory services and companies in order to promote all types of collaboration to apply informatics - that is, computer science, statistics, mathematics - and information technology in agriculture, taken in a broad sense.
It is our conviction that the initial vision behind Dina has proved valid and durable. Starting with 3 member institutions (two of which later merged into one), Dina today includes a total of 7 members. In the first years, funding came from the Ministry of Agriculture and the National Danish Research Councils (through the PIFT programme). Already in 1993-94 there was an international evaluation of the PIFT programme, which gave Dina a most favourable mention. The member institutions have found Dina so useful that they have taken over the funding responsibility. In Oct. 1999 the board of Dina recommended to the members that the network be kept up at least until 2002.
The success of Dina is based on collaboration spanning from basic science over applied research to advisory services; on the research school activities where new ground has been broken in the area of Danish PhD courses; and on the local benefits with respect to scientific development and infrastucture.

Dina will still be needed far into the 21st century, even if its method of work may be modified. It is true that tangible results from applying IT and informatics will gradually become integrated as part of other sciences and activities, but these sciences will also repeatedly find themselves in need of new advanced methods, of developing specific IT facilities, and of interdisciplinary cooperation.
Agricultural production is based on living organisms - on plants and animals. Decisions therefore have to be made on very complicated matters, taking into regard the biological phenomena and the highly varied way in which they manifest themselves. In this connection IT and informatics represent great potentials. However, agricultural problems are frequently difficult to structure, and they cannot once and for all be stated and clearly specified to the IT developer. In most cases, good agricultural IT applications are therefore the result from combining up to date knowledge in both informatics and agriculture, that is, a joint effort of different scientific disciplines has to be made.
Dina can procure this for agriculture. When new achievements in informatics and new demands in agriculture are combined in cooperation, they present a vast potential which has been, and shall be through Dina in the future, detected and explored in time. Agriculture will benefit directly, and so will the basic informatics sciences in that they are taken into an area of challenging applications.
Present efforts in Dina fall into three main types of activity:

• network function
• training of researchers
• work with specific research

The recommendations in the report pertaining to each of these three can be summarised as follows.
The network function should be kept up at the same level as now, or be slightly expanded. Visible initiatives include: Workshops and thematic days; participation in EFITA; and other international cooperation and exchange. But equally important is the more invisible activity and results stemming from the very fact that there exists a forum in Denmark for cooperation between agriculture and informatics, a place where people can get in contact with experts from other fields whose help or collaboration they need. - In order to set a priority and to select the tasks where chances are highest for a profitable outcome of the effort, Dina has in later years centered most of its network activities around a number of priority research areas and has appointed respective IT-coordinators to look after these areas, as described in more detail below.
Dina's contribution in the area of research education should be expanded as far as the availability of professional expertise and economical resources will allow. The two main aspects of this activity are the work in individual projects at the member institutions, the 'Dina nodes' (frequently involving a cooperation between two or more nodes); and the workshops and summer schools arranged by Dina Research School. It is difficult to estimate the value - with respect to research education - of the body of project work, but we maintain that in a large majority of the Dina related projects, students have been working with enthusiasm and have acquired a considerable professional outcome. There is also evidence that the Research School functions well. Participants have given enthusiastic evaluations of the workshops and summer schools.
The third role of Dina, as administrator of specific research projects, has during later years been toned down to apply merely to large projects financed by EU or similar sources. This was judged sensible since, as a rule, individual projects are based most naturally at one or a few of the member institutions. It is suggested that this practice be maintained so that in the future Dina will only in exceptional cases act as project administrator.
The vision for the future of Dina is to focus on the further development of the Dina Research School based on a simple but effective network organisation; to develop the Nordic, European and international dimension; and to maintain the yearly general workshops / seminars as an attractive meeting point for scientists from the involved disciplines. The basic funding principle - that all activities be visible in the budget and that each member institution commit itself to co-finance Dina - should be preserved.
As a supplement to research and research education, Dina might consider taking up new tasks related to education at master and bachelor level, and to presenting IT to a broader agricultural audience. Such activities are much needed and in any case they must be based on research collaboration between the Dina member institutions.
Throughout its short history, Dina has met some difficulties from dealing with 'Informatics in agriculture' - which is not a scientific discipline, just a meeting point for collaboration or transfer of knowledge between disciplines, with a great potential of synergy. As such it is important, but the quality of research depends heavily on the participants being active and recognized in their respective disciplines, be they agriculture or informatics; thus in the first years rather few Dina related papers were published in international journals. But the situation is fast improving; and Dina seniors in general have a fine record of refereed publications.

This report first presents Dina's initial principles and their implementation; then focuses on the three main activities: network; PhD programme/Research School; and research and application projects. A concluding section presents our evaluation of the past and the visions for the future.
One of the objectives of the report is to introduce people not familiar with Dina to the basic ideas, achievements and future plans for the network.