From 17 to 20 November 2025, the RUSTIK consortium gathered in Cheltenham (UK) for its fifth and final project meeting. The partner institutions from several European countries took the opportunity to exchange views in person and discuss the latest findings from the Living Labs across a range of thematic areas.
The meeting focused on the project synthesis – the phase in RUSTIK in which findings from the collected data, newly deployed data collection tools, regional experiences and transdisciplinary research are brought together. The overarching aim is to further sharpen our understanding of rural transformation processes and to draw well-founded conclusions for policy and practice.
The thematic workshops formed the core of the meeting. They represented an important step in bringing together, reflecting on and further developing insights from the 14 Living Labs. Over two intensive days of workshops, four key thematic areas were explored in depth:
- Socio-economic vitality and rural enterprises
- The focus here was on strategies to strengthen rural business ecosystems, promote local innovation and increase socio-economic resilience. The Mazowieckie and Świętokrzyskie Living Labs (Poland) and the Nockregion–Upper Carinthia Living Lab (Austria) were involved.
- Ecological and institutional transformation
- Discussions centred on issues of climate resilience, sustainable resource use and the role of data-driven approaches in integrated regional development. The workshops were largely shaped by the Living Labs from Parma–Piacenza–Ferrara (Italy), Galicia and Osona (Spain), and Gloucestershire (UK).
- Sustainable food and forestry systems
- The Living Labs from Troyan–Apriltsi–Ugarchin (Bulgaria), Garfagnana (Italy) and the Zaječar District (Serbia) shared their experiences in further developing sustainable agricultural and forestry value chains.
- Social cohesion and inclusion
- A key focus was on approaches to promoting social participation and vibrant communities. Input came from the Living Labs in the Rhine-Hunsrück region (Germany), the Osrednjeslovenska region (Slovenia), North Karelia (Finland) and Monmouthshire (UK).
The workshops facilitated a comprehensive exchange between research and practice and supported the joint development of approaches to strengthen resilience, sustainability and social inclusion in rural regions.
An excursion to the pilot regions of Monmouthshire and Gloucestershire also provided insights into local transformation processes and innovative practical examples on the ground.
The “RUSTIK” project is funded by the European Union through the Horizon Europe funding programme and coordinated by the IfLS. Further information can be found here: https://rustik-he.eu/
Contact persons at IfLS: Simone Sterly, Sarah Peter und Svea Thietje (rustik-coordination@ifls.de)
