Deliverables

This report introduces the RURACTIVE Conceptual Framework for innovation in rural areas, setting the minimum common ontology for the project implementation and further describing the dataflow for collecting and describing solutions in the Solutions Catalogue. The framework comprehensively constructs a conceptual matrix to organise knowledge, characterising, systematisingand categorising six Rural Development Drivers (Sustainable multimodal mobility, Energy transition and climate neutrality, Sustainable agri-food systems and ecosystem management, Naturebased and cultural tourism, Culture and cultural innovation, Local services, health and well-being), three cross-cutting priorities (Climate change adaptation and mitigation, Biodiversity, Social Justice and Inclusion), and four types of innovation (Digital and Technological, Technical, Social, Organisational and Governance as well as Financial and Business Models).

This report outlines learning needs and gaps in Europe's rural areas, essential to be addressed via capacity-building opportunities for local rural actors to support the development of community-led innovative solutions for a sustainable, just and green transition in rural societies. This report presents an inventory of learning needs and gaps within six RURACTIVE's Rural Development Drivers. Additionally, the cross-cutting priorities such as climate change mitigation and adaptation, biodiversity, and social justice and inclusion were considered.

It is based on the evidence collected from three types of knowledge sources:

• scientific literature review
• evidence of the community of practice through a review of EU projects integrating insights from experts on the ground including local policymakers, researchers, and the communities
• evidence from RURACTIVE Dynamos, based on their past experiences in implementing innovative solutions in their territories (identified and assessed via RURACTIVE Catalogue of Solutions).

This report aims at setting key principles, methods and step-by-step indications to support rural communities, and more specifically the RURACTIVE Dynamos, to establish, activate and maintain local Rural Innovation Ecosystems and to undertake a participatory and inclusive community-led co-development process. The process detailed in this document will assist Dynamos in developing Local Action Plans supporting just, sustainable and smart transition of rural territories.

Within RURACTIVE, two key principles guide community-led rural development: participation and inclusion. This document aims to explain in theory and in practice how to embed these principles in the community-led co-development process toward a sustainable and smart transition of rural communities in Europe and beyond, using the 12 RURACTIVE Dynamos as open laboratories to test the methodology. Aware of the rich diversity of rural areas, this methodology embeds flexibility as a general guiding norm, giving freedom to the different territories to apply and tailor the methodology based on previous projects and experiences, current synergies, policies, objectives, and available funds and resources. This methodology is structured as step-by-step guidelines.

This report presents the methodology of the monitoring framework developed for the RURACTIVE project. It details the creation of a comprehensive set of Key Performance Indicators and Early Warning Indicators, collectively referred to as Key Rural Empowerment Indicators. These indicators, grounded in the project's conceptual approach, serve to assess the impact of the project’s interventions throughout its implementation.