Expertise and training centre on rural innovation

Slated to kick-off in October 2022, the newly granted project known under the acronym “RURALITIES” will contribute to fostering a sustainable, balanced and inclusive development of rural areas, supporting the implementation of the European Green Deal, in particular its fair and just transition component, the European digital strategy, the European pillar of social rights and the EU long-term vision for rural areas.

It will do so by accelerating the deployment of digital, nature-based, social and community-led innovations in rural areas through capacity building and enhanced knowledge exchange, leading to rural communities that will be better equipped with innovative and smarter solutions that increase access to services, opportunities and adequate innovation ecosystems.

The project supports the transition of pan-EU, Associated Countries (AC) and from the African Union (AU) rural areas towards sustainable, productive, climate-neutral and resilient agricultural systems by providing best available knowledge and capacity building about innovative digital, nature-based, social and community-led smart, social and community-innovations in rural value chains, as well as policy recommendations indicating necessary steps to raise the potentials of innovation as an enabler for rural actors to growth.

The consortium is composed of 52 partners, out of which 18 are from the African Union.

For more information, please contact Innocent Mateeka at i.mateeka@pedal-consulting.eu

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash.

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101060876.