landscape with fields and hills
Empowering rural communities to act for change

Objectives

RURACTIVE works closely with the 12 pilot areas, called Dynamos, to establish local Multi-Actor Rural Innovation Ecosystems. To ensure their sustainability, the project places great emphasis on addressing and strengthening multilevel governance, training and capacity development, place-based progress and inclusive participatory processes looking also at more vulnerable groups such as young and older people, people with disability, migrants and minorities, and long term unemployed. In a transversal way, the project also aims to unlock women-led innovation, tapping into the unique perspectives and capabilities women bring to rural development. Digital connectivity and learning are considered key enablers for the diversification of economic activities and smart solutions for rural communities.

Technical and Scientific

to advance scientific and practical knowledge and develop smart, community-led solutions for rural development:

  • RURACTIVE Solutions

    As a starting point to co-develop smart, community-led, tailor-made, place-based and inclusive solutions in each Dynamo, RURACTIVE will map, systematise and enhance knowledge on smart and community-led practices, products, processes, actions and initiatives. This process embraces the six Rural Development Drivers, three cross-cutting priorities - climate change mitigation and adaptation, biodiversity, social justice and inclusion - and various forms of innovations, such as digital and technological, technical, social, organisational and governmental as well as financial and business models.

  • Multi-actor Rural Innovation Ecosystems (RIEs)

    RURACTIVE will develop, support and enhance multi-actor RIEs in regional Dynamos. These local rural pilot regions are representative of diverse disciplines, sectors, types of organisations, powers and interests. Great value will be placed on inclusiveness and representativeness.

  • Data-driven Decision Support Tool

    RURACTIVE will develop, maintain and make available existing knowledge to rural communities, providing tailor-made recommendations and suggestions.

  • Adaptive Monitoring

    RURACTIVE will continuously monitor the performance and provide evidence around community-led innovation in rural areas, applying a monitoring system and making use of citizen science.

Social and Educational

to ensure social and community-led innovation central to the digital transition, including organisational and governmental changes:

  • Reducing the Digital Divide

    RURACTIVE will reduce the rural digital divide within and between communities, while improving their capabilities to provide adequate skills to all, including vulnerable groups and those at risk of exclusion - leaving no one behind.

  • Empowering Rural Communities

    RURACTIVE will empower rural communities towards a sustainable transition, co-developing action plans of smart and community-led solutions.

  • Support Knowledge Transfer and Capacity Building

    RURACTIVE will support multilevel, trans-disciplinary and cross-sectoral knowledge transfer and exchange, enforcing knowledge and competence transfer among Dynamos, technical project partners, all rural communities and external stakeholders through online and face-to-face training and capacity development.

Replication and Upscaling

to enlarge the impact of the project in rural communities beyond the project duration and the directly involved territories:

  • Boosting Results Accessibility

    RURACTIVE will facilitate the adoption of project results at community level and make them accessible to interested EU and international stakeholders.

  • Science to Policy Translation

    Through the RURACTIVE Forum, the project will network with relevant initiatives and projects funded under Horizon Europe, Interreg and ERDF programmes, and co-develop policy recommendations.

  • Activation of Additional Dynamos

    RURACTIVE will replicate and upscale collected and developed solutions, methods and tools fostering continuous shared learning and exchange of information and practices using online and face-to-face mechanisms.

  • Mobilise and Leverage Additional Investments

    RURACTIVE will explore, mobilise and leverage additional private and public investments and boost connection with innovators around EU.