EIARD's purpose is to enhance the appropriateness and effectiveness of European investments in 
ARD at national, regional and international levels both in Europe and developing countries.  
To achieve this purpose, EIARD has four broad objectives:

Coordinated European positions on ARD (including that undertaken by national agricultural research 
systems (NARS), regional and subregional research organisations (RO/SROs), and international research 
organisations), and coherent positions and synergies between research, development, and other relevant 
policies;
Effective ARD partnerships within Europe, and between European and other partners;
Effective ARD collaboration between Southern organisations;
Sustainable institutional development of NARS.

These objectives are in full compliance with articles 130 (g) and (h) for Research, and 130 (u) and (v) for 
Development Cooperation, of the Treaty of the European Union; and give Europe a more proactive role 
and greater recogni­tion on international ARD matters.

In all activities to deliver the above objectives, EIARD promotes five guiding principles, namely partnerships 
with equality and mutual respect between collaborators from the north and south; needs-driven ARD defined 
by southern partners; subsidiarity whereby activities are planned and implemented at the lowest level where 
they can be effectively undertaken; differentiation requiring that the actions and initiatives of EIARD members 
take account of the social, economic and cultural conditions in partner countries, and their research capacity; 
and participation of all the stakeholders necessary to make the research relevant for its end-users.