Periodic Reporting for period 1 - RURACTIVE (Empowering rural communities to act for change)
Periodo di rendicontazione: 2023-09-01 al 2025-02-28
Despite their potential, rural areas across Europe continue to face long-standing challenges such as population decline, inadequate infrastructure, land use conflicts, and limited access to education and job opportunities. The RURACTIVE project supports rural communities in becoming vibrant, inclusive, and sustainable places to live, work, and grow. By promoting innovation, creativity, and social inclusion, the project helps rural areas take an active role in Europe’s green and digital transitions. Its goals align with major EU strategies, including the European Green Deal and the Long-Term Vision for Rural Areas, which call for rural regions to harness new opportunities emerging from the green and digital transitions, as well as lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic.
RURACTIVE uses an inclusive, participatory approach to engage these stakeholders around six key Rural Development Drivers (RDDs) namely: Sustainable multimodal mobility, Energy transition and climate neutrality, Sustainable agri-food systems and ecosystem management, Nature-based and cultural tourism, culture and cultural innovation, Local services, health, and well-being. As well the porject foster a rural development that includes transversally in all solutions developed three so-called crosscutting priorities that are climate change adaptation and mitigation, biodiversity and social justice and inclusion.
At the heart of RURACTIVE is a strong focus on community-led development. The project promotes the co-design and co-implementation of local solutions through the creation of Multi-Actor Rural Innovation Ecosystems (RIEs) in 12 pilot areas—called the RURACTIVE Dynamos—spread across 7 EU Member States, 2 Associated Countries, and Switzerland. These ecosystems bring together diverse stakeholders such as SMEs, universities, research centers, NGOs, local authorities, and community members, including groups often underrepresented in decision-making processes (e.g. youth, the elderly, migrants, refugees, minorities, long-term unemployed individuals, disabled people, and LGBTQ+ communities). These stakeholders are developing Local Action Plans that include place based solutions to regenerate rural areas and communities.
RURACTIVE uses an inclusive, participatory approach to engage these stakeholders around six key Rural Development Drivers (RDDs) namely: Sustainable multimodal mobility, Energy transition and climate neutrality, Sustainable agri-food systems and ecosystem management, Nature-based and cultural tourism, culture and cultural innovation, Local services, health, and well-being. As well the porject foster a rural development that includes transversally in all solutions developed three so-called crosscutting priorities that are climate change adaptation and mitigation, biodiversity and social justice and inclusion.
At the heart of RURACTIVE is a strong focus on community-led development. The project promotes the co-design and co-implementation of local solutions through the creation of Multi-Actor Rural Innovation Ecosystems (RIEs) in 12 pilot areas—called the RURACTIVE Dynamos—spread across 7 EU Member States, 2 Associated Countries, and Switzerland. These ecosystems bring together diverse stakeholders such as SMEs, universities, research centers, NGOs, local authorities, and community members, including groups often underrepresented in decision-making processes (e.g. youth, the elderly, migrants, refugees, minorities, long-term unemployed individuals, disabled people, and LGBTQ+ communities). These stakeholders are developing Local Action Plans that include place based solutions to regenerate rural areas and communities.
At the beginning of the project, a conceptual framework was developed for rural community-led innovation to provide a shared language to support the projects implementation (Del 2.1). This provides a structured ontology focusing mainly on six RDDs, three cross-cutting priorities (CCPs), and four innovation types, as well as numerous other variables including key resources, capitals, competencies, beneficiaries, etc. A Solutions Catalogue composed of the variables from this framework was created and populated with 441 rural innovation examples. This catalogue will form the basis of a Decision Support Tool and was also utilized for the generation of solutions factsheets for further dissemination and uses of the local communities.
As well, a framework analysis was created to identify and outline common gaps in competencies in Europe’s rural areas (Del 3.1). Findings from literature and EU project reviews were integrated in the RURACTIVE conceptual framework to foster innovation within the six RURACTIVE RDDs and better incorporated into the design, implementation, and sustainable management of place-based innovative solutions within each of the Multi-Actor Rural Innovation Ecosystems (RIEs). Competency categories and subcategories were structured based on EU frameworks and tailored to highlight essential digital and literacy skills required to support community-driven solutions. Additionally, multi-level knowledge transfer among Dynamo and Technical partners was facilitated through workshops and peer-to-peer exchanges to educate and share insights on different elements of the project methodology and conceptual framework.
A step-by-step methodology (Del 4.1) was developed to support the 12 RURACTIVE Dynamos in identifying and engaging local stakeholders and implementing a flexible, inclusive co-development process that allowed the establishment of a Rural Innovation Ecosystems (RIE). Building on tested approaches, the methodology integrates key principles of participation and inclusion, defines vulnerable groups at risk of exclusion, and addresses key cross-cutting priorities throughout. The co-development phase includes various phases from stakeholder mapping, challenge identification, and solution development and it ends with the creation of a Local Action Plan (LAP) for empowering rural community. This has set the foundation to begin an implementation and monitoring phase that will enable each of the 12 Dynamos to co-create place-based, smart, rural solutions.
As well, a framework analysis was created to identify and outline common gaps in competencies in Europe’s rural areas (Del 3.1). Findings from literature and EU project reviews were integrated in the RURACTIVE conceptual framework to foster innovation within the six RURACTIVE RDDs and better incorporated into the design, implementation, and sustainable management of place-based innovative solutions within each of the Multi-Actor Rural Innovation Ecosystems (RIEs). Competency categories and subcategories were structured based on EU frameworks and tailored to highlight essential digital and literacy skills required to support community-driven solutions. Additionally, multi-level knowledge transfer among Dynamo and Technical partners was facilitated through workshops and peer-to-peer exchanges to educate and share insights on different elements of the project methodology and conceptual framework.
A step-by-step methodology (Del 4.1) was developed to support the 12 RURACTIVE Dynamos in identifying and engaging local stakeholders and implementing a flexible, inclusive co-development process that allowed the establishment of a Rural Innovation Ecosystems (RIE). Building on tested approaches, the methodology integrates key principles of participation and inclusion, defines vulnerable groups at risk of exclusion, and addresses key cross-cutting priorities throughout. The co-development phase includes various phases from stakeholder mapping, challenge identification, and solution development and it ends with the creation of a Local Action Plan (LAP) for empowering rural community. This has set the foundation to begin an implementation and monitoring phase that will enable each of the 12 Dynamos to co-create place-based, smart, rural solutions.
The RURACTIVE Conceptual Framework provides a structured and practical approach to understanding and applying rural innovation strategies. Emphasis on cross-cutting themes like climate change, biodiversity, inclusion, women-led innovation, and participatory approaches reflects a more holistic approach to rural development not commonly seen. The intersection of climate, biodiversity and justice aspects has still not been investigated in research, and while the topic are new for urban areas, the intersection with rurality make them even more frontrunners.
Further, the inclusive, community-driven methodology “Activating RIEs for community-led development and empowerment” was developed (Del 4.1). This aims to support the co-development and co-implementation of monitor smart, community-led, place-based and inclusive solutions in rural communities. While innovation ecosystems are described as ‘place-based clusters of companies and other organizations, interacting for growth, development and sustainability’, and successful examples operate in urban areas, RURACTIVE have refined their adaptation to better target rural areas. The RURACTIVE RIEs are intended as communities of people (stakeholders and civil society), places and practices that share interests in one or more specific RDDs. The development of Local Action Plans and the establishment of RIEs in 12 diverse rural regions with the involvement of around 1200 people, 80 of those involved in the Local Task Forces into all the steps of the co-development phase, has already demonstrated the potential for this replicable community-led development model.
Further, the inclusive, community-driven methodology “Activating RIEs for community-led development and empowerment” was developed (Del 4.1). This aims to support the co-development and co-implementation of monitor smart, community-led, place-based and inclusive solutions in rural communities. While innovation ecosystems are described as ‘place-based clusters of companies and other organizations, interacting for growth, development and sustainability’, and successful examples operate in urban areas, RURACTIVE have refined their adaptation to better target rural areas. The RURACTIVE RIEs are intended as communities of people (stakeholders and civil society), places and practices that share interests in one or more specific RDDs. The development of Local Action Plans and the establishment of RIEs in 12 diverse rural regions with the involvement of around 1200 people, 80 of those involved in the Local Task Forces into all the steps of the co-development phase, has already demonstrated the potential for this replicable community-led development model.