Rural Renaissance

Call summary and aims

The Rural Renaissance call will enhance the natural, social, cultural and economic potential of rural areas[[For the purpose of this call, the term "rural" is understood in a wide sense and also includes peri-urban, remote, mountain and coastal areas, unless otherwise specified in the topic description.]] and support policy coherence. It will boost economic development, ecosystem services and entrepreneurial innovation. This will be achieved by building on diversification and modernisation strategies, improving governance models, supporting innovative food and non-food[[Non-food chains include wood.]] value chains, and capitalising on local assets, including human natural and cultural capital.

The call will renew relevant policies dealing with rural areas and their analytical support tools. It will develop synergies between the main economic sectors of rural areas, strengthen the sustainable development of food and non-food chains making use of territorial assets, support the development of the circular economy in rural areas, develop a comprehensive approach towards digitisation as an enabler of rural economies, improve the agricultural knowledge and innovation systems (AKIS) in Europe so as to boost innovation and the delivery of the European Innovation Partnership "Agricultural Productivity and Sustainability (so-called EIP-AGRI).

Activities under the RUR call will be instrumental in implementing the Focus Areas "Digitising and transforming European industry and services" and "Connecting economic and environmental gains – the Circular Economy". Also, to a lesser extent, they will contribute to the Focus Area "Building a low-carbon, climate resilient future".

The actions are expected to support Europe's endeavours to implement the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular SDG 9 'Industry, innovation and infrastructure', SDG 11 'Sustainable cities and communities', SDG 12 'Responsible consumption and production', SDG 13 'Climate action' and SDG 15 'Life on land'.

Societal Challenge 2 will co-finance with LEIT-ICT the topic DT-ICT-08-2019 "Agricultural digital integration platforms" with €15 million. In addition, Societal Challenge 2 will co-finance with LEIT-ICT the topic DT-ICT-09-2020 "Digital service platforms for rural economies.

This call is expected to continue in 2020.

From farm to society: understanding dynamics and modernising policies

The following paragraph is relevant for the entire 'From farm to society: understanding dynamics and modernising policies' section of the Work Programme, i.e. topics RUR-01-2018-2019 to RUR-04-2018-2019 inclusive.  

The objective is to better understand the assets and long-term drivers of rural territories and land use and establish how they are impacted by current policies. The design of innovative policy instruments/approaches and governance models through which to improve socio-economic and environmental conditions will be addressed. This includes activities on policies impacting the delivery of ecosystem services and public goods.  

Organising sustainable food and non-food value chains under changing conditions  

The following paragraph is relevant for the entire 'Organising sustainable food and non-food value chains under changing conditions' section of the Work Programme, i.e. topics RUR-05-2020 to LC-RUR-11-2019-2020 inclusive.  

The objective is to boost the development of innovative and sustainable food and non-food chains and services to support the diverse needs of communities and businesses, in a responsible and ethical way, hence fostering sustainable growth and jobs in rural areas and connecting territories (e.g. coastal-inland, rural-urban). This part will include activities related to the Focus Area "Connecting economic and environmental gains – the Circular Economy".  

Taking advantage of the digital revolution  

The following paragraph is relevant for the entire 'Taking advantage of the digital revolution' section of the Work Programme, i.e. topics DT-RUR-12-2018 to RUR-14-2018 inclusive.  

ICT tools can play a key role in rural growth through a variety of impacts such as increased efficiency and competitiveness, social inclusion, new business models and opportunities, modernisation of services, renewal of governance models through, for example, improved participation of society. This call section will explore the conditions under which benefits of ICT applications can be maximized. This part will include activities related to the Focus Area "Digitising and transforming European industry and services".  

Boosting innovation and enhancing the human and social capital in rural areas  

The following paragraph is relevant for the entire 'Boosting innovation and enhancing the human and social capital in rural areas' section of the Work Programme, i.e. topics RUR-15-2018-2019-2020 to RUR-17-2020 inclusive.  

The objective is to support sustainable growth by encouraging innovation. This involves two main strands of activities: 1) strengthening the skills, human and social capital of farmers, foresters and rural dwellers by improving cooperation, knowledge transfer and networking; 2) investing into the knowledge and innovation systems to improve their delivery. In particular, support to the implementation of the EIP-AGRI "interactive innovation approach" will be provided.