Social Innovation in Marginalised Rural Areas (SIMRA) is a project funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme. SIMRA seeks to advance understanding of social innovation and innovative governance in agriculture, forestry and rural development, and how to boost them, particularly in marginalised rural areas across Europe, with a focus on the Mediterranean region (including non-EU) where there is limited evidence of outcomes and supporting conditions.
SIMRA is organising its final conference in Brussels on 19th and 20th February 2020. The event will showcase the project’s main findings and discuss their policy implications at all levels (EU, national, regional and local), and with regards to the legislative reforms still in discussion for the next EU programming period 2021-2027. Speakers will also discuss the policy opportunities at different levels to encourage social innovation and the possibilities to empower rural communities.
Programme
The event will target different audiences for the 2 days. Please read the detailed programmes and see the different target audiences.
Conference Proceedings
Final conference presentations
| Introduction to Social Innovation in Marginalised Rural Areas, by David Miller and Maria Nijnik (James Hutton Institute) |
| Power dynamics in transformative social innovation, by Flor Avelino (DRIFT, Erasmus University Rotterdam) |
| Diversity of Social Innovation in marginalised rural areas, by Diana Valero (University of Highlands and Islands) |
| The importance of social innovation in developing Smart Villages – Lessons from the ENRD Thematic Group, by Paul Soto (European Network for Rural Development) |
| SIMRA Case Study example – Forest Defence Groups in Catalonia, by Carmen Rodríguez (CTFC) and Xavier Jovés (SFADF) |
| Social Innovation in the context of Social Europe, by Katalin Somody (DG EMPL) |
| Implementing a social innovation in rural areas, by Elena Górriz Mifsud (European Forest Institute) |
| Coaching socially disadvantaged women in developing successful business initiatives – in Lancashire and Cumbria (UK), by Sophie Alkhaled (Lancaster University) |
| How to support social innovation through the Common Agricultural Policy post-2020, by Orsolya Frizon Somogyi (DG AGRI) |
| Policy recommendations from the SIMRA Project, by Robert Lukesch (ÖAR GmbH) |
| Forum Nazionale Agricoltura Sociale, by Ilaria Signoriello |
| Supporting Dairy Professional Organizations through a Public-Private Partnership Programme in Tunisia, by Mohammed Bengoumi (FAO Office for North Africa) |
Flickr gallery on the SIMRA final conference
