Danish Centre for Rural Research (CLF) is a national social science research center integrated into the Department of Political Science at the University of Southern Denmark (SDU).
The center engages in close exchange of ideas and experiences with stakeholders — including authorities — in rural areas and collaborates with national and international research and development environments.
CLF’s board of directors consists of representatives from SDU’s deanery, the academic research community, the municipal sector, the regional sector, a rural organization, and a representative from the center’s staff. The board’s role is to contribute to ensuring the continued development of the centre and the societal relevance of its research.
Mission
CLF is a national research centre with an international perspective.
We work across disciplines to address complex issues and improve conditions in rural areas.
The research centre produces impartial and application-oriented knowledge to support practice and policy making.
We focus on dissemination through communication and education.
CLF aims to have an impactful presence through its research, benefiting the development of rural areas.
Focus Areas
Under the theme "Sustainable Futures in Rural Areas" there are particularly two overarching themes on the societal agenda that CLF aims to address in the coming period:
1: The Green Transition
The necessary green transition of our society, as emphasized by the recent cooperation agreement between the state, trade unions, and employer organizations, presents significant challenges for rural development but also substantial opportunities.
2: Inequality in Health and Public Services
The growing social inequality between urban and rural areas is increasingly seen as a challenge to achieving a balanced nation. This trend is partly driven by resourceful young people moving to cities for education, socially disadvantaged individuals relocating from urban areas to rural regions, and a rising proportion of elderly residents.
At the same time, when educational opportunities and access to public services are generally reduced in rural and peripheral areas, it creates a self-reinforcing cycle, where young people choose not to return after completing their education.
CLF has developed a strategy, which in detail describes the aim, scope and focus of the centre's research in the coming period. The strategy is in Danish and you can read it right here.
Read CLF’s Strategy 2024–2028 (in danish)