Co-creation Labs
Burgos, Spain
RUE in development: Employ different cognitive computing tools to foster sustainable tourism by attracting urban populations to rural areas through personalised experiences
Main challenge: Stop rural depopulation and promote sustainable cultural tourism
Primary domain: Culture, landscape and heritage access and promotion
Secondary domain: User engagement, empowerment, society, and territorial awareness
Lead: CARTIF
Topography: plateau / reservoirs / lakes
Milos, Greece
RUE in development: Quarry Restoration with Mediterranean biome-adapted plants & crops, and a Botanical Path tour
Main challenge: Increase the diversification of ecosystem restoration and improve its integration with agriculture
Primary domain: Ecosystem & biodiversity restoration
Secondary domain: Culture, landscape and heritage access and promotion
Lead: IMERYS
Topography: island / volcanic / coastal
Trikala, Greece
RUE in development: A simulation software that will explore alternatives to enhance connectivity between urban centres and their suburban and rural counterparts
Main challenge: Improve transport connections between rural and urban areas and promote sustainable cultural tourism
Primary domain: Enhanced mobility
Secondary domain: Culture, landscape and heritage access and promotion
Lead: ICCS
Topography: mountains / rivers
Lower Austria, Austria
RUE in development: Standardized Data Sets, Sankey Diagrams, Multi-Criteria Resource Analysis (MCRA), Innovation Pathways
Main challenge: Reduce the environmental footprint of the exchange of secondary resources by developing the regional circular bioeconomy
Primary domain: Regional circular bioeconomy development
Secondary domain: Improving logistics, and shortening value chains
Lead: alchemia-nova
Topography: hilly / flatland / river
Prague, Czech Republic
RUE in development: A socially driven digital platform to educate and popularise the food industry for the general public
Main challenge: Increase awareness about the benefits of consuming local agri-food products and provide access to the latest know-how on innovation and business opportunities in agri-food production
Primary domain: Improving logistics, and shortening value chains
Secondary domain: User engagement, empowerment, society, and territorial
awareness
Lead: CZU
Topography: plateau / basin
Lemgo, Germany
RUE in development: A simulation software that will explore alternatives to enhance connectivity between urban centres and their suburban and rural counterparts
Main challenge: Improve transport connections between the city and its Innovation Campus, and expand its entrepreneurial and innovation outlook
Primary domain: Enhanced mobility
Secondary domain: User engagement, empowerment, society, and territorial awareness
Lead: ICL
Topography: valley / rivers
Kedainiai, Lithuania
RUE in development: Leverage local resources to drive equitable economic
development & balanced exchange of value between rural and urban areas
Main challenge: Improve rural economic and social growth by promoting innovative business ecosystems and shifting from city-centric regional policies
Primary domain: User engagement, empowerment, society, and territorial
awareness
Secondary domain: Regional circular bioeconomy development
Lead: AFL
Topography: lowland / agricultural / artificial lake
RUE in development: Employ different cognitive computing tools to foster sustainable tourism by attracting urban populations to rural areas through personalised experiences.
Main challenge: Stop rural depopulation and promote sustainable cultural tourism.
Primary domain: Culture, landscape and heritage access and promotion.
Secondary domain: User engagement, empowerment, society, and territorial awareness.
Lead: CARTIF
Topography: plateau / reservoirs / lakes
Valles Pasiegos
(Burgos province, Spain)
Culture, landscape and heritage access and promotion
The Regional Government of Castilla y León is driving an initiative to use the area’s natural and cultural wealth to counter rural depopulation through sustainable cultural tourism. By applying Cognitive Computing (COC) techniques, the project aims to capture tourists’ and potential residents’ emotional responses to rural landscapes, creating an “affective value” metric. This will enable the government to craft impactful messages that resonate emotionally, encouraging greater engagement with rural areas.
Partnering with CARTIF, the project follows a co-creation approach, involving the necessary stakeholders at every stage to ensure the sCOC tools meet the project’s goals. Real-world testing will engage rural residents and urban participants to provide authentic emotional responses to scenic locations, with final validations conducted on-site in the Valles Pasiegos and urban centers.
In addition, four digital campaigns will use extended reality (XR) to showcase rural-urban synergies, positioning Castilla y León’s rural areas as vibrant destinations for sustainable tourism and cultural exploration. This initiative aspires to foster stronger connections and new opportunities between urban and rural communities.
RUE in development: Standardized Data Sets, Sankey Diagrams, Multi-Criteria Resource Analysis (MCRA), Innovation Pathways.
Main challenge: Reduce the environmental footprint of the exchange of secondary resources by developing the regional circular bioeconomy.
Primary domain: Regional circular bioeconomy development.
Secondary domain: Improving logistics, and shortening value chains.
Lead: alchemia-nova
Topography: hilly / flatland / river
Lower Austria - Vienna
Circular Bioeconomy
Vienna and Lower Austria represent a dynamic region for advancing Circular Bioeconomy (CB) initiatives. As a densely populated urban center surrounded by agricultural and rural areas, Vienna offers significant potential for integrating urban biomass streams, such as food and organic waste, into regional CB systems. Lower Austria, with its strong agricultural base and a growing focus on renewable resources, complements this by providing a steady supply of rural biomass and fostering rural-urban synergies.
Alchemia-nova, based in Vienna, develops scalable circular design solutions for processing residual biomass, ensuring alignment with environmental and economic goals while fostering urban-rural collaboration. Their work includes methods for revalorizing surplus bread, edible oil residues, and fruit by-products. Partnering with BioBASE, located in Lower Austria, complements these efforts by providing expertise in bio-based technologies and facilitating collaboration with regional stakeholders.
In addition, outreach and capacity-building campaigns, along with co-creation workshops, will highlight the benefits of a Circular Bioeconomy for the region, promoting innovative practices and fostering stronger urban-rural connections.
RUE in development: Quarry Restoration with Mediterranean biome-adapted plants & crops, and a Botanical Path tour.
Main challenge: Increase the diversification of ecosystem restoration and improve its integration with agriculture.
Primary domain: Ecosystem & biodiversity restoration.
Secondary domain: Culture, landscape and heritage access and promotion.
Lead: IMERYS
Topography: island / volcanic / coastal
Milos
(South Aegean Region)
Ecosystem and biodiversity restoration
The Milos RUCL will bring together rural communities and urban centers under the regional scope of promoting the restoration of the natural environment of rural areas which has been affected by industrial and other uses. The Milos RUCL will co-create and demonstrate solutions that aim to:
- foster sustainable regional development through the integration of innovative ecosystem restoration/rehabilitation technologies and digital precision monitoring that enhance ecosystem restoration/rehabilitation and optimize ecosystem services;
- diversify ecosystem restoration/rehabilitation by integrating agriculture while creating synergies by supporting primary agricultural production and providing raw materials and feedstock for the food sector and agro-industrial activities;
- promote integration, synergies and sustainable development of human activities (e.g, mining and tourism). Milo’s Botanical Path will serve as an example of alternative touristic activity, an enriched nature walk built on restored land that unravels the diversity, ecosystem functionality and aesthetic value of endemic/native flora of Milos and the Cyclades islands.
Outcomes and feedback of the Milos RUCL co-creation activities (e.g. workshops, seminars and other) will be indispensable input for the production of Best Practice guidelines for ecosystem restoration by using locally adapted plant species (of the Mediterranean biome) and a series of digital material that will showcase how the restoration/rehabilitation of the natural endowments of rural communities can reconnect them, as places of interest, to their urban counterparts, bring about sustainable growth and foster economies of wellbeing.
RUE in development: A socially driven digital platform to educate and popularise the food industry for the general public.
Main challenge: Increase awareness about the benefits of consuming local agri-food products and provide access to the latest know-how on innovation and business opportunities in agri-food production.
Primary domain: Improving logistics, and shortening value chains.
Secondary domain: User engagement, empowerment, society, and territorial
awareness.
Lead: CZU
Topography: plateau / basin
Prague Suchdol
(Prague)
Improving logistics, and shortening value chains
Prague Suchdol serves as a bridge between urban and rural areas, fostering innovation in agri-food logistics and promoting sustainable short value chains. As the home of the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague (CZU) and its 570-hectare campus, it provides an ideal setting for integrating education, research, and real-world applications in food production and distribution.
At the heart of this initiative is the Food Processing Training Center (FPTC), a cutting-edge facility comprising six specialized food processing units focused on meat, dairy, fruits and vegetables, bakery and confectionery, beer brewing, and oil pressing. By linking regional primary producers with urban consumers, the FPTC strengthens rural-urban cooperation while promoting high-quality, locally sourced products.
To further enhance efficiency and social engagement, the RUCL is developing a digital platform that transcends traditional marketplace models. This platform will serve as an interactive hub where producers, consumers, students, entrepreneurs, and policymakers can collaborate, exchange knowledge, and participate in educational programs. Online courses, workshops, and certification support will empower stakeholders to implement innovative logistics solutions and adopt sustainable practices in food distribution.
By leveraging technology, education, and community-driven initiatives, the RUCL in Prague Suchdol aspires to create a resilient and socially inclusive food system, ensuring greater transparency, efficiency, and sustainability in value chains while reinforcing the connection between rural producers and urban consumers.
RUE in development: Leverage local resources to drive equitable economic
development & balanced exchange of value between rural and urban areas
Main challenge: Improve rural economic and social growth by promoting innovative business ecosystems and shifting from city-centric regional policies
Primary domain: User engagement, empowerment, society, and territorial
awareness
Secondary domain: Regional circular bioeconomy development
Lead: AFL
Topography: lowland / agricultural / artificial lake
Kedainiai district municipality
User engagement, empowerment, society and territorial awareness
Fostering Connections. Driving Innovation. Empowering Communities.
The Kedainiai RUCL bridges the gap between rural and urban areas, creating a space for collaboration, innovation, and sustainable growth. Focused on agri-food systems and business development, this initiative unites diverse stakeholders to co-create impactful solutions and align policies for a stronger, more inclusive future.
Digital Startup Village Hub: A platform for Change.
At the core of RUCLs mission is the Digital Startup Village Hub – a unique, tech-driven platform that integrates rural opportunities w urban expertise. It promotes:
- Innovation in agri-tech bioeconomy and field trials.
- Immersive XR technologies for planning and visualisation.
- Sustainable practices through circular bioeconomy techniques.
By empowering rural entrepreneurs with the tools they need to thrive in global markets, the User engagement empowerment, society and territorial awareness RUCL ensures resilience and sustainability. Together, we’re building a future where Kėdainiai District is a beacon of rural-urban cooperation and agri-tech innovation.
RUE in development: A simulation software that will explore alternatives to enhance connectivity between urban centres and their suburban and rural counterparts
Main challenge: Improve transport connections between rural and urban areas and promote sustainable cultural tourism
Primary domain: Enhanced mobility
Secondary domain: Culture, landscape and heritage access and promotion
Lead: ICCS
Topography: mountains / rivers
Trikala, Greece
(Region of Thessaly)
Enhanced mobility
E-Trikala constitutes a Rural/Urban co-Creation Lab (RUCLs) in the project RURBANIVE. As a pilot site, it is leading the implementiion of a Digital Twin technology and simulation tools to deploy the scalable and efficient on-demand mobility systems with different kind of shared vehicle fleets. Citizens’ mobility patterns, infrastructure elements and constraints of inclusion and accessibility is taken into account. Inclusive workshops will take place with a particular focus on co-creating with multiple stakeholders, such as citizens, entrepreneurs, public authority representatives, researchers, and policy makers, aiming to have a broad representation of genders and different age groups, as well a special concern for young and elderly people.
Extended Reality (XR) applications will be developed to be utilized by the Rural-Urban Co-creation Lab in Trikala focusing on sustainable mobility. End-users from the quadruple helix model, incorporating perspectives from academia, industry, government, and civil society will get access to immersive campaigns with digital tools to better understand the future mobility system in Trikala.
E-Trikala is also implementing solutions concerning the culture, landscape and heritage aiming to address sustainable cultural tourism. It involves both urban and rural regional communities towards providing the visitors with an authentic, enriching experience, acquainting tourists with local culture and traditions and offering them in-depth opportunities to enjoy the area’s unique natural beauty.
RUE in development: A simulation software that will explore alternatives to enhance connectivity between urban centres and their suburban and rural counterparts
Main challenge: Improve transport connections between the city and its Innovation Campus, and expand its entrepreneurial and innovation outlook
Primary domain: Enhanced mobility
Secondary domain: User engagement, empowerment, society, and territorial awareness
Lead: ICL
Topography: valley / rivers
Innovation Campus Lemgo (ICL),
Germany
Enhanced mobility
The Innovation Campus Lemgo in Germany serves as a dynamic hub that seamlessly blends research, application and demonstration centers, fostering innovation in key areas such as Smart Food, Smart Automation, Smart Health, Smart Energy, and Smart Wood. By harnessing the power of digitalization, industry 4.0 technologies, and public participation, the campus creates a fertile environment for pioneering ideas and solutions.
To maintain its reputation as an inspiring, internationally appealing space for open collaboration, the campus strives to attract individuals and companies eager to thrive in its technological and creative ecosystem. Special emphasis is placed on accessibility, ensuring that all members, particularly vulnerable groups, can engage effortlessly. Additionally, the campus actively nurtures entrepreneurial and business opportunities to sustain long-term involvement and innovation.
Situated in the heart of Ostwestfalen-Lippe (2 million inhabitants), one of Germany’s leading regions for business and innovation, Lemgo – a historic Hanseatic city with about 42,000 inhabitants – offers a highly innovative environment ideal for fostering creativity and progress.
Improved mobility plays a key role in this vision. Innovation Campus Lemgo seeks to enhance access to its facilities for visitors, employees and potential business partners by mapping and simulating activities to address mobility challenges. Co-creation workshops will be held with selected people to find out what challenges exist. Developing solutions together will help to improve mobility. The target group includes pupils, students, teachers, people who work on campus, visitors and mobility experts.
Moreover, the campus aims to empower users, promote social and territorial awareness, and inspire local stakeholders to embrace entrepreneurship and innovation. By accelerating the development of new technologies and digital solutions, the campus not only drives regional progress but also secures sustainable growth in a rapidly evolving world.
The RURBANIVE partnership with Trikala in Greece enables the exchange of best practices, the use of synergies and the joint development of solutions to improve mobility in both regions. In this way, innovative concepts can be implemented and the quality of life sustainably improved.