Deadline: 06-Oct-21
The European Commission is seeking applications for its Expertise and Training Centre on Rural Innovation.
Scope
- Proposals should provide capacity building on rural innovation towards rural communities and actors in the EU and beyond, seeking to valorise the outcomes of projects funded under various programmes.
- The latter may include Horizon 2020, Horizon Europe, the common agricultural policy (LEADER, EIP-AGRI operational groups), regional policy (community-led local development, INTERREG, smart specialisation strategies), preparatory actions such as the Smart rural project or SMARTA and other EU or non-EU relevant actions.
- Projects from these programmes should be considered as relevant if they produced practical tools to develop and/or implement strategies and roadmaps in various domains (energy, digital, climate adaptation and mitigation, mobility, environment, social, education and care, food etc.), innovation approaches such as living labs, activities related to smart villages; training packages, videos etc. innovation activities in general and innovative solutions.
Funding Information
Normally, the financial capacity assessment will be done for all Beneficiaries and Affiliated Entities, except:
- public bodies (entities established as public body under national law, including local, regional or national authorities) or international organisations
- if the individual requested grant amount is EUR 60 000 or below.
Expected Outcomes
- The successful proposal 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.
- Enhanced capacities and better knowledge flows and innovation support will empower rural people to act for change and get prepared to achieve climate neutrality by 2050, adapt to climate change, and turn digital and ecological transitions into increased resilience, good health and positive long-term prospects, including jobs, for all including women, young people and vulnerable groups.
- Project results are expected to contribute to all of the following expected outcomes:
- enhanced capacity of rural communities and rural people to innovate for change thanks to the specific outcomes below;
- improved skills and knowledge of rural citizens, entrepreneurs, organisations, local action groups and community leaders of existing tools to develop and implement rural innovation (including social innovation) strategies and innovative actions to implement these strategies in rural communities, in all domains of relevance to rural life and economy;
- shortening of the innovation cycle in rural communities and businesses leading to quicker results and transitions in rural communities, strengthened human capital, including more lively networks and improved attractiveness of rural communities, in particular for women and young people;
- enhanced valorisation by rural communities of the results of rural innovation projects funded under various programmes; and
- enhanced dialogue and cooperation on rural innovation worldwide, with sharing of learning resources.
Eligibility Criteria
- Any legal entity, regardless of its place of establishment, including legal entities from non-associated third countries or international organisations (including international European research organisations) is eligible to participate (whether it is eligible for funding or not), provided that the conditions laid down in the Horizon Europe Regulation have been met, along with any other conditions laid down in the specific call topic.
- A ‘legal entity’ means any natural or legal person created and recognised as such under national law, EU law or international law, which has legal personality and which may, acting in its own name, exercise rights and be subject to obligations, or an entity without legal personality.
- To be eligible for funding, applicants must be established in one of the eligible countries, i.e:
- the Member States of the European Union, including their outermost regions;
- the Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) linked to the Member States;
- eligible non-EU countries:
- countries associated to Horizon Europe
- low- and middle-income countries
For more information, visit https://bit.ly/3AyPvdB