“The path to the future starts with regions”, Vasco Cordeiro, President of the European Committee of the Regions, claimed during the press conference preceding the official opening of the 22nd EURegions Week, taking place on 7-10 October 2024.
According to Eurostat however, 60% of working age European citizens (20-64 years old) live in urban areas, attracted by a larger amount of job opportunities, services and infrastructure. Does this mean that rural areas will inevitably fall behind?
The three projects AURORAL SmarTomorrow, Skillnet Ireland and SMACITE MOOC, presented at an October 8th panel, disagree. What unites them is the same idea: There is no rural regeneration without skills development.
AURORAL SmarTomorrow: connectivity and digitalisation of rural areas
Launched in 2021, AURORAL contributes to overcome the digital gap between rural and urban contexts to increase economic growth and create jobs in rural areas.
The project unfolds in eight European pilot regions covering wide domains such as farming, tourism, mobility, energy and health. Users are offered various digital tools, innovative solutions to share data collected in different regions and the possibility to participate in online marketplaces. AURORAL
Creative solutions to foster attraction to rural areas with Skillnet Ireland
Skillnet Ireland is a network of 70 companies that collaborate based on their sector or region. The project has various programs for rural regeneration: trainings for sustainable farming, a 3 year master’s degree in agriculture, education courses on creative skills (es. videography), job openings for women in the construction sector and so on…
The activities had a significant impact on the regions involved, proving that creative solutions can represent a new attraction to rural areas. Skillnet Ireland
SMACITE MOOC to develop “Smart cities”
Finally, the SMACITE MOOC is an online program created to teach technical and non-technical competencies to engineers and technicians who can then contribute to develop “smart cities”.
The expression refers to an innovative populated area that uses digital tools in improving the quality of life and the efficiency of services in economic, social, environmental and cultural aspects.
The training on the platform is open to everyone and overcomes the major barrier to local regeneration: the lack of soft skills.
Issues remain
When asked which are the major obstacles to the growth of their platforms, the delegates of the three projects answered in the same way: the funding provided by cohesion policy gives a huge support to the programs, but they don’t last forever. What happens if new projects are implemented thanks to the funding but they are not able to “stand on their own feet” once this money is no longer dispensed? They risk getting shut down. The long-term viability of some projects thus is still in the air.
Do you live in a rural area? Are you interested in EU-funded projects around you? Discover them on the Rural toolkit.
By Alice Ugolini
