The 4-year international initiative brings together local Living Labs working in real conditions into a hybrid Rural Innovation Business Community Network
The challenging socio-economic context for the EU in the coming years, featuring land abandonment, population ageing or difficulties for young farmers in the form of outmigration and technology access, signal the urgent need to develop novel Rural Communities Business Models (RCBM). These sustainable models will allow current rural business to overcome systemic barriers and embrace innovative yet cost-effective agroecological and digital solutions – while at the same time increasing the environmental ecosystem services delivery, farmers’ quality of life and rural areas revitalisation.
In response, the Green Transition through Cooperation models (GREENCOOP) project, funded by the Horizon Europe research framework of the European Union, will tackle the revitalisation of rural areas by integrating Agroecology and Digital Innovations (ADIs) into novel Rural Communities Business models (RCBM). The initiative relies in international collaboration between China and the EU as well as the joint development alongside local stakeholders, establishing and supporting Living Labs that will follow a user-centred, open innovation ecosystem approach for systematic co-creation, integrating research and innovation processes in real-life communities and settings.
Spanning a variety of representative bioregions, the Living Labs from the EU (15) and China (2) will provide the basis for a hybrid, physical and online Rural Innovation Business Community Network (RIBC- Net) to co-create, prioritise and test the solutions in relevant geographic and socio-economic contexts. Combining recently created with more experienced Living Labs, the RIBC-Net will develop a series of sustainable innovation strategies into Rural Communities Business Models (RCBM) related to Energy Supply, Nutrients Management, Weed Management, Territory Connections, Water Security and Value Chain ADIs. These lines of research are complemented by its sister project NEXRUR, more focused on farming production models and business cooperation.
Under the coordination by Rosa Mosquera from the University of Santiago de Compostela (USC), the project will run for 4 years, combining the expertise of 21 partners from the EU, the UK and China. As it develops the innovations and business models in real conditions, GreenCoop will take into consideration vulnerable groups and citizens, improving awareness and knowledge integration, and informing decisions with accessible digital platforms that will also be part of its legacy towards social economy and sustainable food systems.
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To know more about the project: greencoopeu.eu
Project coordinator: Rosa Mosquera – University of Santiago de Compostela
To stay connected to the project:
- Youtube: @GreencoopEU
- LinkedIn: @GREENCOOP.EU
- Facebook: @Greencoop.eu
