The annual progress meeting of the RURACTIVE consortium took place in Zadar, Croatia, from 7 to 11 April. The meeting brought together the participating coordination team from Bologna, project partners and regional stakeholders from all over Europe who are committed to innovative and sustainable solutions in rural areas. The focus was on evaluating the progress of the project so far and planning the next steps to promote sustainable and inclusive rural development.
The meeting in Zadar focused on the presentation of the results of the EU-wide Open Call for Innovators in the framework of RURACTIVE
- Selected innovators presented their community-led solutions to be implemented in the twelve pilot regions ('dynamos').
- In addition, existing solutions were evaluated and their applicability in different contexts was discussed under the leadership of the James Hutton Institute.
- The Spanish research and technology centre CARTIF and Almende from the Netherlands presented progress in the development of a system to support the implementation of innovations
- University College Dublin coordinated the capacity building and mentoring activities in the Dynamos.
Finally, a workshop on local communication and outreach was offered:
- EURICE (Germany) and Research and Innovation Services-RISE (Croatia) showed how to improve local communication strategies.
- Another item on the programme was the platform developed by CARDET (non-profit organisation for the promotion of educational technologies, Nicosia, Cyprus), BIOAZUL (engineering and consulting company, Málaga, Spain) and Bern University of Applied Sciences to support learning and training activities.
- Special attention was given to the city of Zadar, which will act as a pilot region ("Dynamo") to implement innovative solutions together with local stakeholders and the company Urbanex.
Another highlight was the peer exchange to the nearby island of Ugljan. As part of the exchange, participants visited the Milivoj Blaslov Fishing Company (https://www.provir.hr/de), a traditional family-run fishing business. The challenges and opportunities of small-scale fishing in the Mediterranean were discussed - from sustainable fishing to regional marketing and EU regulations. The programme then included a visit to the Lungic family who produce high quality olive oil. During a guided tour of the olive grove and small oil mill, the guests were given a fascinating insight into the production of extra virgin olive oil and the importance of regional added value for rural areas.
Participation in the RURACTIVE meeting was not only an opportunity for the BAB to make its work visible, but also a further step towards increased European cooperation. The participants returned to Austria with fresh ideas, practical examples from the region and new partnerships - ready to play an active role in shaping the future of rural areas.
For more information and latest developments, please visit the project's official website https://www.ruractive.eu/translator
