The project established a scientific foundation for understanding social exclusion in European rural areas by developing a multidimensional framework integrating economic, social, political, cultural and territorial dimensions. Building on this framework, research at European, national and community levels generated new evidence on the drivers, barriers and opportunities influencing social inclusion through foresight analyses, stakeholder engagement, national surveys and observational fieldwork in the pilot sites.
A major achievement was the development of a territorial typology classifying European rural areas at regional and municipal levels according to social inclusion, resilience and exposure to social risks. This evidence-based tool supports policymakers in designing targeted, place-sensitive interventions and facilitates the exchange of good practices between territories facing similar challenges.
The project also created a comprehensive evidence base on social services and the social economy by mapping policies, initiatives and good practices and engaging public authorities, service providers, social economy organisations and rural communities. This resulted in a common European framework for the social economy, harmonised impact indicators and the INSPIRE Services and Social Economy Atlas, an interactive platform supporting knowledge exchange and evidence-informed policymaking.
To prepare the pilot phase, territorial profiles were developed for each pilot area, enabling activities to be tailored to local needs. Based on these profiles, seven Smart Village Labs were established as local spaces where citizens, public authorities, researchers, civil society and social economy actors co-design and test innovative solutions for strengthening social inclusion based on social economy principles.
The project also developed the foundations of the INSPIRE digital learning ecosystem through a multilingual MOOC with sixteen training modules and established a common monitoring and evaluation methodology to assess changes in participants' knowledge, skills, empowerment and social inclusion.
Finally, INSPIRE strengthened the long-term sustainability and policy uptake of its results by establishing the INSPIRE Network of Interest, bringing together public authorities, civil society organisations, researchers and social economy actors. The Network provides a platform for policy dialogue, cross-sector collaboration and the co-creation of evidence-based policy recommendations, supporting the transferability and long-term impact of the INSPIRE approach beyond the pilot regions.
