Smart Villages
'Smart Villages' is the current sub-theme of the broader ENRD thematic work on 'Smart and Competitive Rural Areas'.
A Thematic Group (TG) is working on this topic between September 2017 and July 2020.
In its first year, the TG explored ideas and initiatives around revitalising rural services through digital and social innovation. It looked at how rural services – such as health, social services, education, energy, transport, retail – can be improved and made more sustainable through the deployment of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tools and through community-led actions and projects.
In its second year, between September 2018 and July 2019, the TG acted as a sounding board for developing practical orientations for using all the policy tools available to help Smart Villages emerge and develop. At the same time, it continued to provide a platform for linking the various initiatives taking place, reflecting the growing momentum and interest in the topic at all levels.
In its third year, between September 2019 and July 2020, the TG aims to turn the considerable momentum that has been created around Smart Villages, into concrete proposals for designing support for Smart Villages in the new programming period, implying at this stage in the programming cycle a reinforced focus on supporting Managing Authorities, alongside other stakeholder groups.
The TG contributes to the EU Action for Smart Villages by enabling exchange on innovative ways of creating more vibrant, sustainable and attractive rural areas and by exploring how the Rural Development Programmes (RDPs), the EU's Cohesion policy and other financing instruments can be best used to support this.
Information on Thematic Group meetings and related thematic outputs will be uploaded here on a regular basis.
Visit the ENRD Smart Villages Portal and discover the many inspiring networks and initiatives across Europe.
Are you interested in receiving regular updates on the latest around 'Smart Villages'? Please write to us at smart-villages@enrd.eu to express your interest.
Integrated territorial development
- Strategy for Inner Areas, Italy
- Reciprocity Contracts, France
Digitisation of rural areas
- German strategies for digitising rural areas | Case study
- French strategies for digitising rural areas | Case study
- Cornwall-UK, Steps towards a digital rural region | Case study
- Spanish strategies for digitising rural areas | Case study
- Digital Villages, Germany
- 'Smart Countryside' study, Finland
Projects & Initiatives
- Collection of projects
- Projects and initiatives (Smart Villages Portal)
- Smart Villages in Poland: ideas for designing support in the future CAP Strategic Plans (NEW!)
- Smart Villages and Renewable Energy Communities
- Smart Villages in Finland: ideas for designing support in the future CAP Strategic Plan
- Smart Villages and Rural Mobility
- How to support Smart Villages strategies which effectively empower rural communities?
- How can LEADER/CLLD support Smart Villages?
- Using non-LEADER/CLLD cooperation to support Smart Villages
- How to ensure that digital strategies benefit rural communities?
- Business models for rural services
- Co-designing and co-planning village services
- 12th TG meeting 'Smart Villages Lab': Overview of ideas for supporting Smart Villages in the future CAP Strategic Plans and Operational Programmes (2 June 2020) - see meeting higlights
- 11th TG meeting 'Smart Villages' Lab: Poland - How to design the future support framework in the CAP Strategic Plans and Operational Programmes' (1 April 2020) - see meeting highlights and annex
- 10th TG meeting 'Smart Villages and Renewable Energy Communities' (22 January 2020) - see meeting higlights
- 9th TG meeting 'Smart Villages Lab: The Finnish framework for supporting Smart Villages' (19-20 November 2019) - see meeting highlights
- ENRD LEADER Thematic Lab on 'Smart Villages' (17 October 2019) - see meeting highlights
- 8th TG meeting 'Villages of the future' (6 June 2019) - see meeting highlights
- 7th TG meeting 'Working together for Smart Villages – a practical session for policy makers and implementers' (6 March 2019) - see meeting highlights
- 6th TG meeting 'Policy instruments supporting Smart Villages' (5 December 2018) - see meeting highlights
- 5th TG meeting 'Designing Smart Village Strategies which empower local communities' (4 October 2018) - see meeting highlights
- 4th TG meeting 'Suggestions for the future direction of the ENRD Thematic Group' (12 June 2018) - see meeting highlights
- 3rd TG meeting 'Revitalising rural services through digital innovation' (21 February 2018) - see meeting highlights
- 2nd TG meeting 'Revitalising rural services through social innovation' (7 December 2017) - see meeting highlights
- 1st TG meeting 'Integrated strategic approaches to innovation in rural services' (26 October 2017) - see meeting highlights
- Smart Villages: Revitalising Rural Services through Social and Digital Innovation (22 May 2018) - see Seminar highlights
