The Horizon Europe RURACTIVE project aims to foster a just and sustainable transition of rural areas by developing smart, community-led, tailor-made, place based and inclusive solutions, to be implemented in 12 pilot areas (Dynamos) all over Europe. Its goal is to unlock the innovation potential of rural communities by addressing six integrated Rural Development Drivers: sustainable multimodal mobility; energy transition and climate neutrality; sustainable agri-food systems and ecosystem management; culture and cultural innovation; local services, health and wellbeing as well as nature-based and cultural tourism. These transversally integrate climate change mitigation and adaptation, social justice and inclusion, and biodiversity.

The first RURACTIVE Forum meeting is taking place on 10th of February 2025 at 10:00 – 12:30 CET online (Teams) and it will be an online space dedicated to fostering knowledge exchange, collaboration, and meaningful discussions on the future of rural development in Europe. The interactive discussions will be part of shaping innovative solutions for Europe’s rural areas and contributes to building stronger networks across the EU.

The Forum is open to local and EU practitioners, experts and decision-makers keen to advance and co-produce solutions to support policy makers at different levels in the implementation of smart solutions for rural areas, throughout the new EU policy cycle.

Agenda

Following up on the success of the first RURACTIVE Forum meeting, gathering over 100 participants in February, RURACTIVE continues with the efforts to facilitate the sharing of knowledge and experiences between various rural development experts and stakeholders, and to optimise the contributions of various projects towards sustainable rural transitions.

The second RURACTIVE Forum will take place on 17 November 2025, 09:30 – 12:15 CET, on-line. It places particular emphasis on contributing to, shaping and aligning with the EU’s Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) for the 2028–2034 period, as well as the associated EU funding programmes that will be critical to supporting the adoption and scaling of smart solutions in rural areas. With the new MFF proposals officially tabled in July 2025, followed by an intensive negotiation phase, the Forum serves as a timely, strategic platform for articulating rural innovation needs, aligning diverse stakeholder perspectives, and informing emerging policy priorities - both at EU and national levels.

To foster collaborative thinking and solution-oriented dialogue, the second RURACTIVE Forum will adopt a Policy Hackathon format. A hackathon is a participatory event where individuals collectively tackle specific challenges, offering a dynamic space for idea generation, learning and stakeholder engagement. The Forum is open to local and EU practitioners, experts and decision-makers keen to advance and co-produce solutions to support policy makers at different levels in the implementation of smart solutions for rural areas, throughout the new EU policy cycle.

Find more information and register here.

Agenda