PREPARE is delighted to announce its active involvement in the FUTURAL project, a visionary initiative designed to revolutionize rural communities across Europe through innovative smart solutions. FUTURAL aims to address the unique challenges faced by rural areas, fostering sustainable development, and enhancing the quality of life for rural residents.
What is FUTURAL?
FUTURAL (Empowering the FUTure through innovative Smart Solutions for rURAL areas) is a comprehensive project funded by the European Union. It focuses on prototyping, testing, piloting, and demonstrating community-led social, technological, and business innovations. These efforts are concentrated in six Multi-Actor Pilots (MAPs) across Europe, each representing diverse geographical and socio-cultural contexts.
PREPARE’s Contributions
As a key participant in the FUTURAL project, PREPARE is involved in several critical activities aimed at empowering rural communities:
1. Capacity Building Workshops
PREPARE will develop and deliver comprehensive guidelines and materials for capacity-building activities across the MAPs and the EU-Rural Innovation Forum (EU-RIF) events. These workshops are designed to:
- Empower Rural Communities: By enhancing their ability to innovate and adopt new social, technological, and business practices.
- Promote Inclusiveness: Special attention will be paid to the needs of women, youth, and vulnerable groups, ensuring balanced and equal participation.
2. EU-RIF Events
PREPARE is instrumental in organizing and implementing three major EU-RIF events throughout the project’s duration. These events will serve as platforms for:
- Knowledge Sharing: Stakeholders from various sectors will come together to share experiences and lessons learned from the co-creation of innovations in the MAPs.
- Validating Business Models: Workshops will focus on developing and validating business models tailored to the needs of different rural communities.
- Policy Co-Creation: Engaging policymakers and stakeholders in co-developing policy recommendations and governance frameworks to support the scaling up of FUTURAL innovations at the EU level.
3. Dissemination and Communication
PREPARE is committed to ensuring that the innovations and insights gained from FUTURAL are widely shared and adopted. Our efforts will include:
- Wide Dissemination: Implementing a robust dissemination plan targeting relevant actors with tailored messages to maximize stakeholder involvement.
- Sustainable Ecosystem: Contributing to a vibrant and sustainable ecosystem of rural innovation across Europe by sharing best practices and lessons learned.
FUTURAL’s Impact
The FUTURAL project aims to unlock the full potential of rural areas by:
- Improving Connectivity and Access: Enhancing access to public infrastructures and services.
- Promoting Sustainability: Supporting the implementation of the EU Green Deal and the European digital strategy.
- Fostering Resilience: Helping rural communities become more resilient to societal and environmental challenges.
Join Us on This Exciting Journey!
PREPARE invites all stakeholders and interested parties to join us on this exciting journey as we work together to build stronger, more resilient, and prosperous rural areas through the power of community-led innovation. Stay tuned for updates on our activities and progress as we contribute to shaping the future of rural Europe.
For more information about the FUTURAL project and PREPARE’s involvement, please visit our project website https://futural-project.eu/