RURACTIVE aims to foster a just and sustainable transition of rural areas by developing smart, community-led, tailor-made, place-based and inclusive solutions within local Multi-Actor Rural Innovation Ecosystems (RIEs) in 12 pilot area (Dynamos - Ds) in 7 EU, 2 Associated Countries and Switzerland. RURACTIVE will unlock the innovation potential of rural communities by addressing six integrated Rural Development Drivers (RDDs) – namely multimodal mobility, energy transition, agri-food and agroecology, culture and cultural innovation, health and wellbeing, nature-based and cultural tourism – and transversally integrating climate change mitigation and adaption, biodiversity and social justice and inclusion. RURACTIVE will empower rural communities to act for societal change, by making available existing knowledge around smart solutions that integrate various forms of innovation (digital and technological, technical, organizational and social, business models and financial) and enhancing rural communities' capacities and skills, by providing training, capacity building, and knowledge transfer. Implementing a methodology for RIEs establishment in 12 Ds, RURACTIVE will work towards inclusive decision-making processes for all, including vulnerable groups and people at risk of exclusion, providing RIEs with instruments and capacities to collaboratively co-develop, co-implement and co-monitor smart and community-led solutions. Also, by offering an open set of data-driven tools (Decision Support Tool, Adaptive Monitoring tool), a digital infrastructure (RURACTIVE Digital Hub), and defining a programme for external Innovators, RURACTIVE will provide a fertile ground for change in rural areas. Results will be out-scaled through knowledge exchanges and networking at EU level (open contest for Additional Ds and RURACTIVE Forum), the deployment of training and capacity building activities for further rural communities and the creation of open e-learning courses and MOOC.

<< Objectives >>The project goal is to strengthen the capacity of citizens and local organisations to participate in the creation of sustainable development strategies, aimed at strengthening the economic and environmental resilience of rural territories. To this purpose, CoRoots aims to create a strategic partnership for co-learning and collaboration between cross-sectoral organisations such as research, social innovation platforms, local development organisations and university centres.<< Implementation >>Spaces for multidisciplinary co-learning through two lines of work. The first consists of three activities for the Exchange of Good Practices in Social Innovation and Citizen Participation in rural environments. The second line of work is to create spaces for discussion and collaboration, in order to generate alliances that will strengthen work in the field of rural development.The learning from the project will be integrated by in an experience of Participatory Local Development in Portugal.<< Results >>RESULTS: Training of 15 adult learners in Social Innovation and citizen participation. Creation of a strategic partnership, allowing to enrich the approaches and capacity for action of the participating organisations; facilitating the creation of synergies, through the identification of common challenges in the European context; and the Elaboration of 1 Didactic Guide with Good Practice Experiences.

Europe is warming faster than any other continent, with 2023 being the hottest year on record. This rapid Climate Change (CC) increases the frequency of extreme weather events, such as floods, wildfires, and droughts, endangering people, infrastructure, ecosystems, and the economy. From 1980 to 2020, climate disasters cost the €12 billion annually, and future hazards could raise this figure to €170 billion per year. In response, the European Commission (EC) has enacted policies like the European Green Deal (EGD), the European Adaptation Strategy, and the European Mission on Adaptation to Climate Change (MACC), all aiming to boost resilience, particularly in rural areas that are disproportionately vulnerable due to their dependence on natural resources and exposure to diverse climate risks. Rural areas, especially Remote Rural Areas (RRAs), face even greater obstacles like lower institutional capacity, underinvestment, and depopulation, limiting their ability to adopt climate adaptation measures. Covering 50 % of the European Union (EU)'s rural territories, RRAs urgently need empowerment to tackle CC effectively. GRACE project focuses on addressing the needs of rural and small and medium communities localised in EU RRAs to adapt and build resilience against CC, by strengthening their capacities and empowering them to become actors of change and take transformative action. A consortium of 27 organizations from 16 countries implements the project, with 5 Demonstrator Regions (DRs) in Austria, Denmark, Italy, Portugal and Sweden co-developing innovative solutions centered on nature-based approaches. These solutions are designed to deliver multifunctional, place-based social, environmental and economic benefits. In addition, circular economy principles will be embedded within these solutions to promote sustainable resource use, regenerative practices, and closed-loop systems, further enhancing local adaptation capacity. At the same time, the project will enhance local socio-economic activities, promote circular business models, maximize the value of natural capital, and help mitigate the challenges of depopulation and aging in RRAs. 5 Replicator Regions (RRs) in Greece, Ireland, Latvia, Slovakia and Ukraine will prepare for adopting the innovations developed by the DRs. Finally, GRACE will also engage Observer Regions (ORs) to follow and potentially replicate these solutions, fostering widespread CC adaptation across Europe’s rural areas. By integrating Nature-based Solutions (NBS), digital technologies, and inclusive community participation, GRACE will catalyze transformative adaptation in EU rural territories, ensuring that RRAs can successfully navigate climate challenges ahead and secure a sustainable, climate- resilient future.

MATILDE develops a transdisciplinary conceptual and methodological framework for a multi-dimensional assessment of economic and social impacts of TCNs at different scales (from EU-aggregate, to local level). It focuses on assessing the impacts of TCNs (incl. economic, families, forced migration and vulnerable groups) on local development and on the re-distribution of resources in EU rural and mountain regions. The assessment is based on the hypothesis that TCNs are an important driver of socio-economic development and have a strong effect on the relationships between urban and rural/mountain areas and on a balanced territorial development. MATILDE uses quantitative and qualitative methods and adopts an action-research approach (through the implementation of 13 case studies throughout Europe) that emphasises the agency of migrants and the site-specific features of the regions involved. Case studies are selected based on the presence of urban poles differently interconnected with rural and mountain areas via flows of people, economic resources and cultural exchange. The action-reserach approach is built on a multi-stakeholder perspective: the two-level consortium gathers research partners and diverse local partners working in the field of TCNs’ integration. MATILDE partners will work together to co-construct the migration impact assessment in rural and mountain areas, engaging local stakeholders and beneficiaries, and to elaborate and share policy recommendations and governance solutions. Overall, the project improves knowledge on the social and economic development potential of TCNs in rural and mountain areas. It helps understanding the mechanisms behind the socio-economic integration of TCNs and it provides policy makers, practitioners and local stakeholders with analytical tools and place-based solutions/policy recommendations to counteract misperceptions and untap the migration potential in rural and mountain regions.

Social capital is “capital” that increases the social, political and economic effectiveness of society. Its main elements are consisted of interpersonal trust, social networks, norms, institutions and participation. The components, types and use of social capital by individuals in rural areas are of great importance for rural development policies. Social capital plays an important role in the regional and rural development strategies of the European Union (EU). Similarly, in recent years in Turkey, social capital has also become a very important concept in rural development policies. Strengthening of social capital is essential for developing rural areas, increasing entrepreneurship and its sustainability, strengthening rural governance and local capacity and developing rural cooperation as Turkey has series problems in each of these areas. The number of (both economic and social) entrepreneurs is inadequate, especially in rural areas in Turkey. Social capital enables entrepreneurship and facilitate entrepreneurs overcome resource restrictions. In today's world, financial capital alone is not sufficient for entrepreneurial success. Social capital is an important resource in ensuring the effective use of social networks.There are a number of problems with agricultural organisation in Turkey due to the lack of good management of rural/agricultural organisations and human resources. The development of social capital in rural areas will contribute to the elimination of these problems related to rural organisation.This need is felt not only for traditional agriculture / rural production-related activities, but also in the governance of short supply chains and rural tourism marketing, which leads to significant changes in the dynamics of the rural areas (Giray, et al. 2019). The number of failed enterprises in this field is increasing. This is because people do not have the skills to work together within these newly created structures. For this reason, the strengthening of social capital in the rural communities is urgently needed.The project is designed to prepare a set of training modules on the subject of Social Capital in Rural Communities for Rural Development for trainers in Ministry of National Education (MoNE). The training set will include e-learning modules for trainers in Public Training Centers of MoNE, short video shows for rural residents (rural learners). Implementation Guide for the Country and Situaiton and Good Practice Examples of Social Capital across Europe. The target groups of the training modules will be adult trainers working in Public Training Centers and experts of MoAF. Rural residents especially local leaders in rural areas are also the the most important target group and beneficiaries of the project in terms of intellectual outputs.The main content of the training and intellectual outputs will be; 1.Definition of the concept of social capital 2.Components of social capital 3.Resources of Social capital4.Types of social capital5.Role of social capital in local and rural development6.Needs for social capital7.How to develop social capital8.Measuring social capitalWithin the scope of the Project, the experience of Public Training Centers of MoNE in adult education and experiences of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MoAF) in agricutural extension for those living in rural areas will be brought together within the scope of SOCIALcapital.The main objective of this Project is to provide an extensive training program for the adult trainers from MoNE who will train the rural residents on the subject of “Social Capital in Rural Communities for Rural Development”. Within the Project, the trainers from MoAF will also be trained on the same subject in order to support the target groups/project beneficiaries when they use E-Learning Training Modules.These objectives will be reached by providing adult trainers from MoNE with e-learning training materials and a short training course at a partner that will strengthen their knowledge and competences on the subject of social capital. In addition 12 trainers and 4 experts from MoAF will attend short training courses in a partner country.The project consortium is consisted of six partners; three Universities, a Research Institute and two Ministries. All partners are listed below:•Agricultural Training Center Of Ministry Of Agriculture And Forestry, Turkey•General Directorate of Lifelong Learning of the Ministry Of National Education ,Turkey•Evora University, Portugal•Isparta University of Applied Sciences, Turkey•Technical University of Madrid, Spain•Federal Institute of Agricultural Economics, Rural and Mountain Research, Austria