Blog – Page 6 – SIMRA Social Innovation in Marginalised Rural Areas

SIPARTE, the first rural Hackathon in Italy!

23 October 201823rd October 2018Lucía Lopez Marco1 Comment

What’s the perfect recipe for a successful Rural Hackathon? Here are the secrets to a memorable experience: the Rural Hackathon “SIparte”, held on the 4^th and 5^thOctober 2018 in Feltre (northeastern Italy).

Ingredients: a beautiful, lively historical building, six teams – 24 future entrepreneurs – that aim to value and contribute to the local development of their territory in the province of Belluno, a group of experts to mentor them, the warmth of the sun, fresh mountain air, and great food.
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SIMRA brought rural areas to the front throughout a series of conference sessions this autumn, co-led by colleagues from the James Hutton Institute

16 October 201823rd October 2018Lucía Lopez MarcoLeave a comment

The social innovation research conducted under the Horizon 2020 project SIMRA – standing for Social Innovation in Marginalised Rural Areas – is coordinated by the James Hutton Institute, complementary to the delivery of the ecosystem services based social innovation research for Scotland, carried out under the Scottish Government Strategic Research Programme. The research on social innovation in rural areas has seen some broad media coverage in recent months with its recognition at an international level due to the organisation of sessions in several conferences.

SIMRA at the International Social Innovation Research Conference 2018

10 October 201823rd October 2018Lucía Lopez MarcoLeave a comment

In early September a group of SIMRA researchers participated at the International Social Innovation Research Conference 2018, which was held in Heidelberg, Germany, where findings and advances within SIMRA were discussed with international experts in the field.
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Living in the Teleno mountain, a heritage of more than 4,000 years

10 October 201823rd October 2018Lucía Lopez MarcoLeave a comment

Why do we have in the Teleno mountain, our land and natural resources, a Heritage that allows us to live, work and enjoy a great quality of life?

For thousands of years in the foothills of Monte Teleno, the highest peak of the Montes de León in Spain (2,188m), men and women have lived and coexisted in harmony with a natural environment that allowed them to eat, live and develop taking advantage of the nearest resources. Hunting, fishing, fertile land with wild edible species and even autochthonous pine forests have guaranteed the permanence of the human being in the Teleno Mountains area, although in the 21^st century we talk about the fact that the human being is almost “in danger of extinction” in many rural territories of our country.
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Get out there to get in here!

24 September 20185th October 2018Lucía Lopez MarcoLeave a comment

Read this article in Norwegian here.

Researchers believe Norwegian outdoor life contributes to good integration. This is the starting point for an Innovation Action led by the Eastern Norway Research Institute.

Immigrants in many cases are crucial for the small municipalities in the rural areas of Gudbrandsdalen, four hours North of the Norwegian capital, Oslo.

“Ethnic Norwegians move to the cities”, researcher Tor Arnesen explains. “It is immigration from abroad that attenuates the decline in population in the rural areas. Inclusion of immigrants is of course important for long-term development.”

New solutions for inclusion and integration have to be found.

As part of a SIMRA Innovation Action, Tor Arnesen and his colleague Mari Bjerck have organised an innovation seminar for representatives from different refugee and immigrant services in the remote area of Gudbrandsdalen. Special guest at the seminar is Havva Curkukaya, head of inclusion of the Norwegian Trekking Association in Drammen, Norway’s 6^th biggest city with a 28% immigrant population. Havva Curkukaya is originally from Turkey, and she has managed to inspire many people with multicultural background to get out in the great Norwegian nature.

Challenges and opportunities of social innovations in Adriatic island Cres

27 August 20186th September 2018Lucía Lopez MarcoLeave a comment

In July 2018 CETIP and Institute of Forest Ecology SAS undertaken field research of SIMRA project to ancient isolated rural settlement VIDOVICI in Adriatic Island CRES.

After turbulent times over the past 5 centuries and as the response to global crises of early 20s, in particular de-population and land degradation Vidovici area is facing reconfiguration of community practices. Today this charming village located on the top of the hill with spectacular view around the Adriatic coast and in the neighbourhood of UNESCO Word heritage site is witnessing transition to sustainable rural life.

SIMRA’s Second General Assembly, Padova, Italy

13 July 20186th September 2018Lucía Lopez MarcoLeave a comment

SIMRA partners and members of the Scientific Advisory Board gathered in Padova from 12th to 14th June 2018 for a productive annual project meeting and the second General Assembly, hosted by the University of Padova. Halfway through the project, and having already completed the first periodic reporting, the meeting was an opportunity to reflect on achievements and progress thus far, and to plan our next steps.

How can Social Innovation help Villages become Smarter?

5 July 20186th September 2018Lucía Lopez MarcoLeave a comment

The Smart Villages concept aims to “help local communities address issues of inadequate broadband connectivity, employment opportunities and service provision in a clear and comprehensive manner”. It also aims to improve the attractiveness and well-being of inhabitants in rural areas. Social innovation can play a key role in the development of the full potential of rural areas. By working together and through social innovation, some communities have taken leadership of the provision of key rural services such as health, education, energy, mobility and other social services of key importance in rural, mountainous and remote areas where such services were of poor quality and often in decline. How can we capture their success in social innovation in marginalised rural areas and use it as an inspiration for all? How can we best support social innovation and Smart Villages in the future programming period?