Smart Villages as drivers of innovation

1. Paul Soto ENRD Contact Point Smart Villages as drivers of innovation European Week of Regions and Cities 8th October 2019

2. Contents Smart Villages and digitisation Thecomponentsofthe rural digital divide Howtoensurethat digital strategiesbenefit rural communities Usingtheopportunities in the CAP StrategicPlanstostrengthen rural innovation

3. Definition – Pilot Project “Smart Villages are communities in rural areas that use innovative solutions to improve their resilience, building on local strengths and opportunities. They rely on a participatory approach to develop and implement their strategy to improve their economic, social and/or environmental conditions, in particular by mobilizing solutions offered by digital technologies. “The use of digital technologies is not a precondition for becoming a Smart Villages”. Cooperation and alliances with other villages and urban areas Use existing tools.

4. Smart Villages – ENRD TG Messages Thereis no onemodelfor Smart Villages Itis a community-led process, Allvillages can be smart No duplicationofstrategiesorstructures Fast and flexible supportforinnovativeaction - transition

5. Enabling a transition Flexible tools to enable rural communities to make the transition

6. Componentsofthe digital divide Gaps Connectivity – infrastructure Applications – uptake Skills

7. Digital Transformation – both chicken and egg 76% EU citizens NGA connected BUT only 40% in rural areas

8. How to ensure that digital strategies benefit rural communities Bettertargettingofinvestments in broadbandinfrastructure + connectivity Developstrategiesforbuilding digital skills – in parallel Build rural digital ecosystems Promotecoordinatedgovernance

9. How to ensure that digital strategies benefit rural communities Review digital needs and opportunities, build a vision of the future and a strategy for getting there. Do not wait for ultra-fast broadband to arrive. Bring together local users, public bodies, suppliers and researchers…. Aggregate demand, build a business case and a financial plan for investments in key areas. 1. Targeting investments in broadband infrastructure Examples: Lormes (FR), Kuhno (FI)) Balquhidder (UK), Molenwaard (NL)

10. CommunityBroadband – Kuhno (FI)

11. How to ensure that digital strategies benefit rural communities Upskill local stakeholders to deliver the training initiatives Identify and enable digital champions. 2. Develop strategies for building digital skills - in parallel Examples: La Wab (FR)

12. How to ensure that digital strategies benefit rural communities 3. Build rural digital ecosystems Map and identify the key gaps and opportunities. Develop a roadmap; Support “enablers” – digital hubs, living labs, fab-labs, coworing spaces…; Link regional to local. Examples: Digital Villages + Living Labs (DE), Fab Lab Network (SI) Digital Hubs (ERUDITE)

13. Living Labs – German Digital Villages

14. Imagining and buildingfuture Jobs Youth Housing Health Education Mobility Connectivity Culture And many more

15. How to ensure that digital strategies benefit rural communities 4. Promote coordinated governance Support for partnerships between stakeholders at national, regional and local level. Telecoms/infrastructure providers, regional municipalities, regional NGO’s and rural community organisations. Implement a range of software and supportive applications to interconnect different systems Examples: Superfast Cornwall (UK)

16. Digital Strategies in the CAP StrategicPlans The CAP Strategic Plan shall contain: “A description of the strategy for the development of digital technologies in agriculture and rural areas and for the use of these technologies to improve the effectiveness of the CAP Strategic Plan Interventions” Article 102. Modernisation

17. Possiblestepsforusing CAP StrategicPlans Map the existing landscape of policy support for the digitization Identify needs/gaps for using digitisation to achieve specific CAP objectives Define the priorities for the main types of intervention available. For example: Investments in small scale infrastructure and local services - for last mile connectivity gap; Knowledge exchange and information - for skills gap; Cooperation - including LEADER- demand aggretation and andgap in up take

18. Rural developmenttoolkit • Interventions in CAP StrategicPlans: • Cooperation (Art 71 – LEADER and otherformsof • cooperation • Investments (Art 68) • Young farmers and businessstart-ups (Art 69) • Knowledgeexchanges and information(Art 72)

19. Building innovation at local level SUSTAINABILITY –SCALE UP Cooperation Marketing SupportforCooperation Small scaleinvestments Community Contribution Pilots Researchcontracts Technical/ feasibilitystudies Training Needsaudits IDEA

20. Gaps in knowledge and and information systems Source: Pertoldi, Muriel and Lopez (2016), page 5. Pertoldi, M., Muriel, M., & Lopez, J. (2016). Smart LEADER: Challenging Smart specialization in the scope of rural development. Presentation at the conference on Smart Specialization and Territorial Development. Retrieved from https://3ftfah3bhjub3knerv1hneul-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Pertoldi_SmarLEADER_final.pdf . (Retrieved in January 2019).

21. Connecting rural innovation – policyneeds More local facilitation/animation Betteraccesstoknowledge – knowledgebrokers, connecting local hubs, ARKIS…. Faster, more flexible financefor local innovation Betteralignmentwithinvestmentmeasures Stronger and more flexible cooperation

22. Sourcesofinformation • Orientationsforusingallpolicytoolsavailabletohelp Smart Villages to emerge – now and in future: • How to support Smart Villages strategies which effectively empower rural communities? • How can LEADER/CLLD support Smart Villages? • Using non-LEADER/CLLD cooperation to support Smart Villages • How to ensure that digital strategies benefit rural communities?

23. Sourcesofinformation https://bit.ly/2ODP1Kq https://bit.ly/2VG1UXo Smart Villages Video https://youtu.be/ckB71hb0kx0 https://bit.ly/2kruagJ

24. Thankyouverymuch!