Empowering rural communities and enhancing social inclusion
Inhabitants of rural areas repeatedly experience limited social inclusion and inadequate social services, which can significantly impact their wellbeing. The INSPIRE project, a three-year research and innovation initiative, holds the potential to transform this reality. By establishing the groundwork for the development of thriving “Smart Villages” and effective policy measures, the project aims to combat social exclusion, address social needs, and improve the wellbeing of rural residents, particularly those of vulnerable groups.
A collaborative and participatory endeavor – Co-creating social economy solutions
INSPIRE, funded by the new Horizon Europe program, is a testament to the power of collaboration and participation. It brings together research institutions, policy-advising companies, liaison bodies, and civil society organizations from 11 countries. In addition, rural residents themselves will play a central role in shaping the project’s direction and rolling out pilot social economy initiatives through their active participation in the “Smart Village labs”¹ that will be set up as part of the project. This collective approach will see lab participants identifying their actual needs, prioritizing them through e-democracy, and co-creating tailored social economy solutions.
Pilot partners and areas
Crucial will be the contribution of the so-called “pilot partners” too. During the first year of the project, known as the “investigation phase”, pilot partners will conduct extensive field research at the national and local levels. In the second stage of the project, the “intervention phase”, they will coordinate all actions in the seven designated “pilot areas”. The pilot areas consist of rural communities with diverse characteristics (e.g., coastal, peri-urban, mountainous regions) across six European countries and form an integral part of the project.
MedINA’s role
MedINA serves as a pilot partner and is responsible for administering all research and implementation activities related to the two participating communities from Greece, those of Konitsa and Kythera. MedINA’s team is involved in all work packages and will also oversee the establishment of “Smart Village labs” in all communities.
INSPIRE supports the inclusion, wellbeing, and growth of rural areas through multi-actor Smart Village labs for enhanced governance frameworks. INSPIRE is funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Research Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
¹ “Smart Village labs” are physical and virtual places that bring together the three main actors of services delivery in rural areas (i.e., private sector, public sector, and civil society organizations) with end-users (e.g., vulnerable groups, the general public) and intermediary players (e.g., NGOs, academia) to promote social inclusion through user innovation and social entrepreneurship.