INSPIRE is a project about inclusive governance and social services through social entrepreneurship in rural areas funded by the European Union, under Grant Agreement No. 101136592. This Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Action officially commenced in October 2024 and will last 36 months.

It aims to promote social inclusion and enhance governance frameworks in European rural areas through a blend of novel research techniques, pilot interventions and policy solutions. It uses advanced methodologies and pilot actions and supports access to high-quality social services by rural citizens. The project will create an advanced territorial typology of rural areas in Europe, providing information about social inclusion drivers, status, risks, and trends.

It will also offer capacity-building on social entrepreneurship to rural entrepreneurs and encourage social entrepreneurship by vulnerable groups in a set of seven different pilot territories, through the concept of “Smart Village”, with seven Smart Village Labs that will be created in Ireland, France, two in Greece, Poland, Slovakia and Romania  that will serve as incubators of social entrepreneurship and social services, targeting groups in vulnerable situations.

INSPIRE consortium: White Research (coordinator), University of Groningen, University of Barcelona, South East European Research Centre, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, KOÇ University, Social Economy Europe, The European Association of Service providers for Persons with Disabilities,  European Social Network, European Network of Migrant Women, PEDAL Consulting, European Rural Development Network, MedINA, L'ADAPT, The Wheel, ROMONTANA, Q-PLAN International, ARX NET.

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Research Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

INSPIRE project EU

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