ESIRA

ESIRA (Enhancing Social Innovation in Rural Areas) aims to contribute to the roll out of place-based innovative social economy initiatives for rural inclusion and development in marginalised rural areas. The project will support enabling frameworks for social innovation, well interconnected policy architecture and directly piloting innovative solutions which ultimately build more inclusive, resilient and prosperous rural areas.

To this end, ESIRA will set up Multi Actor Platforms (MAPs) in 9 pilot areas across Europe, 5 of which are mountainous, each targeting a range of vulnerable groups including women, migrants, Roma, older people, young people and people with disabilities. Each MAP will pilot social economy initiatives aimed at strengthening the inclusion and living conditions of these groups. A large part of the project will be devoted to using these experiences to formulate recommendations for policy makers, to promote knowledge exchange and to encourage replication.

ESIRA unites a diverse consortium consisting of 15 partners from 8 countries representing the diversity of Europe’s rural areas. Euromontana’s main role will be to lead the activities relevant to policy recommendations. 4 Euromontana members are also partners: SODEBUR – the Society for the Development of the Province of Burgos (Spain), the Eastern Norway Research Institute (Norway), the County of Innlandet (Norway) and Cooperazione Trentina (Italy).