RUDI

Rural Innovation to Address Demographic and Climate Challenges (RUDI)

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Project title: Rural Innovation to Address Demographic and Climate Challenges

Project acronym: RUDI

Programme: Horizon Europe – EU Research and Innovation Programme (HORIZON-CL6-2025-02-COMMUNITIES-01), Grant Agreement No. 101286747
Duration: 1 June 2026 – 31 May 2030 (48 months)
Consortium: Research and practice partners from eight countries: Austria, Portugal, the Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Italy, Bulgaria and Latvia
Project coordinator: Centre for Social Innovation (ZSI), Vienna, Austria
EU funding: Total project budget of approximately EUR 6.5 million

What is RUDI?

Rural regions across Europe are facing major challenges, including population decline, ageing populations and climate change. In RUDI, researchers, municipalities, businesses, organisations and local residents in eight European regions will work together to develop practical solutions to address these challenges.

A Rural Innovation Cluster (RIC) will be established in each region as a local collaborative platform bringing together different stakeholders to jointly assess the situation in their area, identify key needs and priorities, and develop solutions. A central role in this process will be played by the Rural Living Lab (RLL), a co-creation and experimentation environment where ideas will not only be discussed but also tested in practice. Depending on the specific needs of each area, solutions may focus on issues such as climate-resilient mobility, access to local services or community development.

In Latvia, Roja Parish in the Kurzeme Region has been selected as the RUDI pilot area.

Benefits for the Local Municipality and Community

  • Territorial data and analysis: A structured, professionally facilitated assessment of the area’s demographic, climate-related and socio-economic conditions, carried out in collaboration with local residents, including groups whose voices are often underrepresented, such as young people, older residents and newcomers.
  • A concrete action plan: An evidence-based roadmap with a concrete action plan, co-developed with local stakeholders, which the municipality can use to inform development strategies, spatial and territorial development planning, and investment attraction.
  • Evidence-based tools: Access to the Demography–Climate Dashboard and the Policy Support Package to support informed decision-making.
  • Innovative solutions and a pilot project: One pilot innovation will be developed, implemented and evaluated in Roja Parish, Kurzeme Region, addressing the most pressing challenge identified in the pilot area.
  • Capacity building for municipal staff and local stakeholders: Training and capacity-building activities for local participants, including a train-the-trainer programme, to ensure that the knowledge and skills developed through the project remain in the region beyond its completion.
  • European networking and knowledge exchange: Participation in a network of European regions facing similar demographic and climate-related challenges across the eight partner countries. The project will facilitate networking, experience sharing and mutual learning, as well as connections with the EU Rural Pact and other European networks, helping to raise the municipality’s profile at national and EU levels.
  • Participation without financial contributions: Participation in the project is voluntary, and the project budget covers the costs of workshops, other project activities and the preparation of materials.

Expected Outcomes of Participation in the Project

Over the four-year project period, the following outcomes are expected in each participating area:

  • Establishment of a Rural Innovation Cluster as a local collaborative platform and joint adoption of a Collaboration Charter, defining stakeholder participation, roles and transparent decision-making procedures (by the end of 2026).
  • Publication of a Participatory Rural Assessment Report for the pilot area, accompanied by an accessible summary in Latvian, including visualisations and infographics.
  • Development of a practical action and learning programme and establishment of a Rural Living Lab in the pilot area.
  • Implementation and independent evaluation of a pilot innovation, enabling successful approaches and good practices to be replicated and scaled up.
  • Open access to project results.
  • Cascade funding, through a competitive call offering eight grants of up to EUR 40,000 each, to support the implementation of successful solutions in other European regions and expand the regional collaboration network.

Establishment of the Rural Innovation Cluster and Signing of the Collaboration Charter

The Rural Innovation Cluster will be formally established at a kick-off event in autumn 2026. The event will bring together representatives of the municipality, regional and local institutions, businesses, organisations and civil society.

Participants in the kick-off event will agree on shared objectives and the content of a Collaboration Charter, which will define:

  • The stakeholders participating in the Rural Innovation Cluster and their respective roles.
  • Transparent decision-making procedures.
  • Mechanisms to ensure inclusive participation of different groups within the local community.
  • The objectives of the Rural Innovation Cluster and its role in addressing community challenges.
  • A shared commitment to collaboration, formalised through the signing of the Charter by all interested stakeholders, including Talsi Municipality.

The signed Collaboration Charter will formally establish the Rural Innovation Cluster and provide the basis for further cooperation throughout the project. Signing the Charter will not create any financial obligations for the municipality.

Stakeholder Mapping and Participatory Activities

To ensure the effective functioning of the Rural Innovation Cluster and Rural Living Lab, stakeholder mapping will be carried out in each region during the initial phase of the project. This process will identify key stakeholders, different community groups and potential rural innovators, including entrepreneurs, farmers, associations and community leaders.

The municipality will play a particularly valuable role in this process by helping to identify, reach out to and engage relevant local stakeholders.

Stakeholder engagement and inclusive participation will be supported through a range of activities throughout the project:

  • A kick-off event to launch the Rural Innovation Cluster.
  • Stakeholder mapping.
  • Focus group discussions with relevant stakeholders.
  • At least six field visits to the pilot area and the wider region to meet with local stakeholders.
  • Targeted interviews with different community groups.
  • A joint stakeholder meeting to review, validate and agree on the assessment findings.
  • Workshops to develop a practical action programme and co-creation activities within the Rural Living Lab.
  • Accessible, community-oriented communication materials in Latvian, including practical examples, visualisations and infographics.

The activities of the Rural Innovation Cluster, including decisions taken and lessons learned, will be documented to ensure transparency and promote inclusive participation practices.

How Will the Municipality Be Involved?

The municipality will participate in the project as a local stakeholder and cooperation partner, rather than a grant beneficiary.

Its involvement will include:

  • Signing a Letter of Interest: A short document confirming the municipality’s interest in and commitment to participating in the Rural Innovation Cluster.
  • Participation in the Rural Innovation Cluster: Signing the jointly developed Collaboration Charter and participating in the kick-off workshop, thereby establishing the municipality’s role and voting rights in the decision-making process.
  • Participation in workshops and project activities: Taking part in project workshops and co-creation activities; helping to identify relevant contact persons for field visits; and sharing local knowledge and, where possible, relevant data.
  • Contributing to the pilot innovation: Participating in the selection of the pilot project’s focus, supporting its implementation and contributing to the evaluation of its results. The same representatives may participate in both the Rural Innovation Cluster and Rural Living Lab activities.
  • Designating contact persons: Appointing municipal representatives to facilitate communication and cooperation throughout the project.

In each participating country, the project is implemented by a national research and practice partner team, responsible for organising project activities and providing ongoing support to local municipalities throughout the project period.

Regional Practice Partner

Kurzeme Planning Region

https://kurzemesregions.lv/

Research Partner

University of Latvia

Faculty of Science and Technology

Department of Geography

https://eztf.lu.lv/par-mums/eztf-nodalas/geografijas-nodala/

The RUDI project is funded by the European Union under the Horizon Europe Programme (Grant Agreement No. 101286747). The views and opinions expressed are those of the project partners only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Research Executive Agency.