Call of Interest for replicator – Closed

Are you a rural community that is searching for innovative solutions, using your local heritage potential as a catalyst for economic competitiveness and/or sustainable and inclusive growth?

The RURITAGE project, funded under H2020, is looking for 6 rural areas located primarily in the EU and in the EEA and 3 in the 16 ENP countries, which would like to transform themselves in in sustainable development demonstration ‘laboratories’, through the enhancement of their unique Cultural and Natural Heritage potential.

Already 19 case studies, also called Rural Heritage Hubs, are involved in the project. These 19 Rural Heritage Hubs represent 13 good practice examples or Role Models and 6 Replicators, which will implement innovative heritage-led solutions. Together with several multidisciplinary expert institutions, these Rural Heritage Hubs aim to demonstrate that Cultural and Natural Heritage can emerge as a driver for sustainable regeneration and development.

In particular, RURITAGE will:

  • Make successful practices and solutions on heritage-led rural regeneration available and replicable;
  • Identify the financial resources needed to preserve cultural heritage in rural areas;
  • Promote the engagement of rural communities in the decision-making processes;
  • Provide roadmaps for the development and long-term sustainability of heritage-led regeneration strategies.

Based on past research and experiences, RURITAGE has identified 6 Systemic Innovation Areas, namely PilgrimageSustainable Local Food productionArt & FestivalMigrationResilience, and Integrated Landscape Management, which represent the ways in which cultural heritage acts as a driver for regeneration of a rural area and its economic, social and environmental development. Each of these topics is represented in the project by at least 2 Role Models and 1 Replicator.

WHY APPLY?

If your territory will be selected as an additional Replicators through this call, you will have the opportunity to learn from the Role Models, Replicators and knowledge experts and to access a wide range of tools and knowledge to develop heritage-led regeneration plans. This will enable you to subsequently implement strategies adapted to your own rural territory and increase the visibility of your region worldwide!

If your territory is awarded the title of RURITAGE Replicator, you will have:

  • Full access to the RURITAGE Replication Toolbox, including, for example, the RURITAGE Practices Repository, the RURITAGE Serious Game kit, etc.;
  • An invitation for up to 2 representatives (financed by the project) to attend the ‘Launch Workshop’ in November 2019 that will be held in Italy, to learn about the work undertaken in RURITAGE and meet and network with RURITAGE partners;
  • The possibility to join the other planned RURITAGE workshops (costs covered at own expense);
  • Present the results of your implemented actions during a poster session at the final RURITAGE conference in the Spring of 2022 (financed by the project);
  • Free access to the Digital Rural Heritage Hub (Digital RHH), an open blog for discussion and multiple educational and capacity building activities;
  • Favourable subscription to the RURITAGE Brand, with guaranteed networking among RURITAGE branded organizations and participation in annual networking events;
  • Great visibility through the project website and RURITAGE dissemination activities.

WHO IS ELIGIBLE?

Eligible beneficiaries for this call are rural communities both from EU Member States, EEA and ENP countries, as defined below:

  • Municipalities and towns in rural areas
  • Local Action Groups (LAGs)
  • Local agencies (public or semi-public organisations), responsible for the design and implementation of specific policies (economic development, energy supply, health services, transport, etc.).
  • SMEs and Start-ups
  • Private foundation, banks, investment agencies
  • Non-profit organisations (NGOs, local associations, etc.)

Applicants should have a good command of English, must be eligible for participation in the EC H2020 Framework Programme and be located or implement their actions in “predominantly rural regions” (i.e. the rural population accounts for 50 % or more of the total population) or “intermediate regions” (i.e. the rural population accounts for between 20 % and 50 % of the total population) according to the EUROSTAT definition.

If you have any doubt on your eligibility, please directly contact us before submitting your application.

SUBMISSION PROCEDURE

To join the RURITAGE project as an additional Replicator please fill in the online application form in English and attach any additional/supplementary materials in pdf format or provide weblinks to youtube or vimeo videos you consider relevant regarding your application (in English or with English summary) (optional).

The submission of the applications is paper free. The submission period for proposals will be open until midnight 8th of April 2019.

ASSESSMENT PROCESS

The Assessment panel will rate all of the eligible proposals for good practices against a scorecard linked to the following criteria:

  • Relevance
  • Fit with principles of integrated and sustainable rural regeneration
  • Projected impact.

The assessment will also consider the geographical coverage of the submitted good practices, in order to incorporate try to give evidence of a range of diversified contexts.

Up to 9 replicators spots, 6 within, but not limited to, the EU and the EEA and 3 in ENP countries, will be awarded. Additional replicators may also be selected that will not receive funds from the project for participating in the “Launch Workshop” but that could have access to all of the other benefits (at their own expense).
The applicants will be notified about the results of the selection process by email.

PRIVACY

Personal data shall be collected, processed and published in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2016/679, also known as GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation).