RURACTIVE Webinar Highlights the Power of Rural Innovation Ecosystems on World Rural Development Day 2026

On 6 July 2026, the RURACTIVE project celebrated World Rural Development Day by hosting the online webinar Building Rural Innovation Ecosystems for the Right to Stay: Lessons and Opportunities from RURACTIVE. The event brought together researchers, practitioners, policymakers and rural stakeholders from across Europe to explore how community-led innovation can help create vibrant, resilient rural areas where people have genuine opportunities to live, work and thrive.

The webinar focused on one of the project's central themes: how Rural Innovation Ecosystems can empower local communities to tackle complex rural challenges through collaboration, knowledge exchange and place-based innovation. Participants discussed the importance of long-term engagement, strong local partnerships and inclusive governance in creating the conditions that enable people to choose to remain in rural areas - the emerging European concept of the "Right to Stay."

Throughout the session, RURACTIVE Dynamos shared practical experiences and inspiring examples, illustrating how local communities are co-designing and implementing innovative solutions tailored to their specific territorial needs. These real-world examples demonstrated that successful rural development depends not only on innovative ideas, but also on sustained cooperation between citizens, local authorities, researchers and other regional actors.

A key highlight of the webinar was the presentation of the RURACTIVE Methodology for Activating Rural Innovation Ecosystems, the project's practical framework for supporting community-led development and empowering rural communities to become drivers of their own sustainable transition. Participants were also introduced to the recently published RURACTIVE Handbook, which presents the methodology and practical guidance for those wishing to establish or strengthen Rural Innovation Ecosystems in their own regions.

The consortium would like to thank everyone who joined the webinar and contributed to the lively discussions.

If you were unable to join the webinar live, or would simply like to revisit the discussions, you may access the recording on the RURACTIVE website.