The FUTURAL project, funded by Horizon Europe, organizes the 2nd EU Rural Innovation Forum (EU-RIF #2) on 5th & 6th of May 2026 at the Jonava Cultural Centre in Jonava, Lithuania, convening policymakers, practitioners, EU projects and rural innovators from across Europe.
Under the title “From Smart Villages to Smart Rural Futures: experiences from the Baltic region”, the forum will showcase practical tools, policy insights and real-life rural innovation examples, highlighting how Smart Villages can strengthen resilience, competitiveness and quality of life in rural areas.
Participation is open to anyone interested in rural innovation, Smart Villages and the future of rural development, and registration is available at: https://tinyurl.com/b3dvz9r6
What is the 2nd EU-RIF about?
Rural communities across Europe face many challenges, but they also have strong potential for growth and renewal. In this context, innovation is crucial to help rural areas break out of these vicious cycles and build more resilient, attractive, and sustainable futures. Smart Villages have emerged as a way to support this transition, enabling rural communities to design and implement local strategies that bring together social, digital, and organisational solutions.
The 2nd EU Rural Innovation Forum (EU-RIF), will take stock of progress, experiences, and lessons learned from the planning and implementation of Smart Villages in the Baltic region, showcasing hands-on examples and reflecting on how these initiatives can be strengthened in the future.
Who can attend?
The forum convenes a wide rural innovation ecosystem, including policymakers and implementers, rural innovation networks, EU-funded R&I projects, organisations, entrepreneurs, and community representatives, to support capacity building and expertise sharing on smart community-led innovation.
Why participate in the 2nd EU-RIF?
The 2nd EU-RIF is designed as a hands-on, exchange-focused event featuring expert discussions, workshops and tools rural actors can use immediately. If you’re looking for more reasons to take part, here’s what you will gain:
- Leave with implementation insights you can apply in your own context.
- Discover tools, approaches and real examples that support community-led innovation.
- Build connections with policymakers, implementers, EU projects and rural innovators.
- Contribute to the discussion on the future of Smart Villages and smart rural development.
More information for the 2nd EU-RIF event
More information about the 2nd EU Rural Innovation Forum, including the full programme and practical details, is available on the FUTURAL website: https://futural-project.eu/eu-rural-innovation-forum-2/
To stay informed about project’s events, news and updates, follow FUTURAL on social media:
- LinkedIn: FUTURAL Project
- Facebook: Futural project
- X: @FUTURALproject
About FUTURAL
FUTURAL is a project launched in June 2023 and funded by Horizon Europe aiming to empower rural communities through prototyping, testing, piloting, and demonstrating community-led social, technological and business innovations, through co-creation in six (6) Multi-Actor Pilots (MAPs) across the EU, varying in geographical and socio-cultural contexts. For this, a set of eight (8) digital Smart Solutions (SS) will be developed and deployed, addressing key societal and environmental rural challenges relating to five (5) Smart Solution domains, namely: 1. Circular Bioeconomy, Biodiversity and Ecosystem Management, 2. Resilience to Shocks, 3. Citizen Engagement and Quality of Life, 4. Lifelong Education and Training, and 5. Climate Adaptation and Mitigation, covering a wide range of relevant challenges faced by rural communities across the EU.
Project Coordinator
| Prof. Spyros Fountas Agricultural University of Athens 75 Iera Odos Str. 11855, Athens, Greece |
Project Communication
| Natassa Koufaki reframe.food L.SOFOU 20, 57001 Thermi, Thessaloniki, Greece |
Disclaimer
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.
