Social Innovation in Rural Areas

Use social innovation to improve conditions in disadvantaged rural areas

On this course, you’ll learn what social innovation is, how it can best be supported and where innovation efforts should be concentrated. You’ll specifically focus on the challenges facing rural areas.

You’ll be introduced to a range of approaches for actioning social innovation initiatives as you explore the role of communities and society in innovation development.

Using global case-studies, you’ll analyse new approaches proposed by 26 partners involved in the EU H2020 research project, SIMRA. You’ll explore the findings of the project, led by the project partners themselves.

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement number 677622.

The course is designed for anyone interested in innovation in rural development.

This may include decision-makers, public, private and third sector development agents, evaluators, facilitators, technical advisors, researchers or students involved in social innovation projects in rural areas.

The course is designed for anyone interested in innovation in rural development.

This may include decision-makers, public, private and third sector development agents, evaluators, facilitators, technical advisors, researchers or students involved in social innovation projects in rural areas.

• Develop critical understanding of the concept of social innovation and its influence on social, economic and environmental outcomes in rural areas
• Identify diverse roles of communities and civil society in the development of social innovation initiatives
• Improve awareness of the multiple applications of rural social innovation to support social well-being
• Explore a range of tools and methods to better support social innovation
• Develop competences for identifying, categorising and analysing cases of social innovation in Europe and non-European Mediterranean countries
• Classify factors that affect the development of social innovation in rural areas
• Assess social innovation through innovative techniques of evaluation
• Compare the policy contexts for social innovation in rural areas and their role in stimulating or constraining its development