Driving Rural Innovation through startup Villages across Europe

Project Information

DRIVE

Grant agreement ID: 101181939

DOI

10.3030/101181939

Project closed

EC signature date 1 October 2024

Start date 1 January 2025

End date 30 June 2026

Funded under

• Food, Bioeconomy Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment

Total cost

No data

EU contribution

€ 832 400,00

Coordinated by

CONSORZIO ITALBIOTEC
Italy

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - DRIVE (Driving Rural Innovation through startup Villages across Europe)

Reporting period: 2025-01-01 to 2026-06-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Rural areas are central to Europe’s transition to a sustainable circular bioeconomy: they provide biological resources, local knowledge and space for new value chains, while often facing weaker innovation networks, limited access to finance and support services, skills gaps, youth outmigration and fragmented links between entrepreneurs, research, public authorities and investors. DRIVE addressed these challenges by strengthening bioeconomy entrepreneurship in three rural Startup Village pilot regions: Bohinj (Slovenia), Serres (Greece) and Le Bourget-du-Lac (France).

Over 18 months, DRIVE developed and tested a place-based approach that connects evidence gathering, community building, challenge-driven innovation, business acceleration and policy support. Its objectives were to identify rural bioeconomy needs and successful support practices; design and deliver tailored capacity building for start-ups and SMEs; create stronger local and European networks; assess the sustainability and transferability of the approach; and translate lessons into practical action plans and policy recommendations. The project expected to help rural innovators turn locally available resources, including agricultural and forestry residues and agri-food by-products, into viable circular business opportunities. In doing so, it contributes to more resilient rural economies, better use of resources, climate and biodiversity objectives, and the retention of skills and talent in rural areas.

Social-science perspectives were integral to DRIVE’s approach. Stakeholder interviews, participatory Roadshows, feedback surveys and co-creation with local actors were used to understand territorial barriers, social needs, governance arrangements and the conditions needed for inclusive innovation. This ensured that the project did not apply a one-size-fits-all model, but developed support adapted to each territory.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

DRIVE first established an evidence base across eight partner regions through a review of rural bioeconomy ecosystems, 36 stakeholder interviews, an inventory of 82 best practices and a catalogue of 30 existing support services and products. This work identified recurring obstacles, including limited access to finance and specialist advice, weak ecosystem connections and difficulties in bringing bio-based solutions to market. The findings informed the project’s event formats, mentoring content and regional strategies.

The project then implemented three two-day Roadshows and challenge-based Hackathons in Bohinj, Serres and Le Bourget-du-Lac. They brought together more than 250 participants and 59 teams of entrepreneurs, SMEs, producers, researchers, public bodies and other local stakeholders. Teams developed solutions to locally defined challenges, ranging from short agri-food supply chains and agricultural by-product valorisation to circular economy, mobility and regenerative tourism. The three events were preceded by information sessions and included practical workshops on sustainable business models, social innovation, and access to finance.

Twelve selected teams entered a structured business-acceleration programme. Ten mentors delivered 240 hours of tailored support through five modules: sustainable and bio-based business models; investors and digital platforms; pitching and communication; access to finance; and social innovation. The programme combined webinars, individual coaching, practical templates and self-paced materials. Participants reported improved clarity on their business models, funding pathways and investor positioning; 55% of evaluated concepts were assessed as having generated a viable business opportunity, above the project target of 40%.

To turn the experience into lasting tools, DRIVE produced three Sustainability Transition Action Plans for the pilot regions, a policy brief and an exploitation strategy. The latter identified two key exploitable results: a replicable online information-session format and an integrated Roadshow-Hackathon methodology, supported by the mentoring programme. More than 60 participant and stakeholder questionnaires provided evidence on the quality and usefulness of the activities and helped refine the methodology.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

DRIVE advances beyond stand-alone training, networking or business-support schemes by integrating these elements into one modular, place-based pathway. It starts with evidence on local resources and needs, brings ecosystem actors together around a concrete challenge, supports teams from idea development to tailored mentoring, and converts the resulting lessons into regional transition plans and policy guidance. This links enterprise support with territorial development and makes it possible to adapt the approach to different levels of start-up maturity and different rural contexts.

The project demonstrated that rural innovation can be activated by combining locally trusted partners, accessible event formats, practical support and cross-sectoral collaboration. Its open, reusable methodologies, implementation templates and business-model tools can be adopted separately or as a complete programme by municipalities, innovation agencies, universities, accelerators, rural-development organisations and research bodies. The three regional Action Plans offer both locally tailored priorities and a transferable planning method covering ecosystem development, skills, collaboration, finance, governance and policy alignment.

Further uptake will benefit from continued cooperation between local authorities, business-support organisations, researchers, investors and community actors; dedicated funding for early-stage rural bioeconomy ventures; local-language and hybrid delivery where needed; and integration with Smart Specialisation Strategies and other regional innovation instruments. Future pilots could test the methodology in additional territories, track longer-term business and environmental outcomes, and connect successful teams to demonstration facilities, finance and markets. The principal results are the needs-assessment methodology and evidence base; the Roadshow-Hackathon and mentoring approach; three Sustainability Transition Action Plans; a policy brief; and a business model and roadmap for replication.