Meet the 10 inspiring sub-projects that have been selected through the FUTURAL Open Call! Each of these innovative sub-projects will develop a digital smart solution to address pressing real-life challenges faced by rural communities across Europe, fostering smart community-led innovation in rural areas.
ENCOuRAge
Engagement in Cognitive Tasks to Improve Quality of Life in Rural Areas
The main objective of the sub-project is to develop a platform that provides engaging, game-based cognitive tasks designed to maintain and improve the cognitive abilities of older adults who reside in rural areas. By addressing the lack of access to specialized care in rural areas, this solution offers a vital resource for cognitive health support.
Our innovative approach focuses on enhancing cognitive abilities and strengthening cognitive skills in an accessible, quick, and enjoyable way. Through these smart cognitive tasks, users can actively manage and improve their cognitive abilities, empowering them to take a proactive role in their mental well being. The expected outcomes of this sub-project include the preservation or improvement of mental processes and enhanced memory retention. Additionally, users are anticipated to acquire cognitive skills that contribute to mental resilience mechanisms.
This initiative aligns with the broader goal of “Citizen Engagement and Quality of Life” by delivering smart cognitive tasks training to individuals in rural communities, enabling them to access direct cognitive support from the comfort of their homes.
EW4Fthiotida
Early warning solutions for forest fires, floods and snowfalls in Fthiotida
The sub-project aims to develop and validate an early warning system for climate change risks in the rural area of Fthiotida, a subregion in the Region of Central Greece. Fthiotida faces significant risks from floods, fires, and heavy snowfall due to its varied geography of mountains, rivers, and plains.
The sub-project integrates smart technology solutions already tested in small scale. Key components include deploying fire detection units with cameras and AI algorithms for smoke/flame detection; installing cameras and snow sensors, along with a crowdsourcing mobile app for residents to report real-time road conditions during heavy snowfall; and monitoring river water levels using IoT sensors to predict flooding events. All data will be collected and facilitate resource allocation in a central incident management platform.
The solution aims to empower local authorities, optimize resource allocation for emergency responses, and minimize the impact of climate-related risks on citizens, animals, and crops. By involving end-users and integrating data from multiple sources, the sub-project aims to improve operational performance and contribute to sustainable and resilient rural development.
KEEP-GREEN
Weighting and ranking the forestry places according to the wildfire occurance potential
The proposed smart solution aims to develop an integrated fire prevention and early detection system for forest areas and the Hutovo Blato Nature Park within the Municipality of Čapljina. Leveraging cutting-edge technologies such as Geographic Information Systems (GIS), drones, IoT sensors, Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) methodologies, and Digital Twin technology, the sub-project seeks to continuously monitor environmental and socio-economic factors contributing to wildfire risks. Digital Twin will simulate potential wildfire scenarios to optimize early intervention strategies and resource allocation. The solution prioritizes proactive fire risk management by ranking high-risk zones, identifying vulnerable areas, and minimizing potential environmental and economic damages.
NUA
Network for Upland Adaptation: Empowering mountain farmers with precision climate intelligence
The NUA sub-project, carried out by a consortium of 3 organisations, Amigo, Deep Blue, and Regio-Tech, presents an innovative climate service solution tailored for agricultural diversification in mountainous rural areas. NUA addresses the climate change challenges in traditional dairy farming regions by providing high-resolution (up to 300 m) bioclimate indicators and data-driven recommendations for future diversification strategies. NUA supports rural resilience and sustainability through advanced technology. By providing rural communities with actionable climate intelligence, NUA enables informed decision-making, mitigates risks associated with agricultural transitions, and enhances the long-term viability of farms in changing environmental conditions. NUA focuses on digital innovation and community-led adaptation strategies and positions it as a tool for more resilient and sustainable rural areas in Europe.
OLIWA
OLIve tree WAter demand and health monitoring platform
OLIWA’s digital Smart Solution is a Decision Support System (DSS) designed to improve water resource management and mitigate the physiological stress that climate change imposes on olive trees. It addresses the challenges faced by rural olive-growing areas in Liguria, Italy, which are increasingly vulnerable to climate impacts, by co-developing adaptive strategies in collaboration with local farmers.
By implementing a data-driven approach to water and crop management, OLIWA will provide local farmers with a practical, science-based solution that functions as a DSS to support adaptation to climate variability. The specific objectives include monitoring plant health, reducing water waste to promote more sustainable cultivation, increasing resilience to climate change, and enhancing farmers’ decision-making through data integration.
REVRES
Reservoir volume EValuation using REmote Sensing
Typical methods of measuring reservoir volumes are costly, and often impractical. The proposed cutting-edge smart solution proposes an efficient water reservoir management using remote sensing. Our innovative tool leverages high-resolution satellite imagery and advanced geospatial analysis to automatically calculate reservoir volume in real-time, providing a faster, scalable, and cost-effective alternative. Using Sentinel-2 and storage capacity data from official repositories and the GLOBAthy dataset, the platform automatically calculates reservoir volume over a user-defined period. The platform uses machine learning algorithms for water surface delineation, even in the presence of bridges or challenging environmental conditions such as cloud cover. It features an intuitive interface that allows users to easily select reservoirs, date ranges, and cloud cover percentages, generating time-series data on volume.
Tested across diverse regions, the solution delivers accurate data outperforming conventional methods. Scalable and ready for adoption, this tool will rather improve how rural communities manage critical water resources.
TERRA.game
Teaching Economy Resilience through Rural Awareness
TERRA.game is a smart educational tool consisting of an Android game and a Toolkit of Community Activities designed to raise awareness about the circular economy among seniors in rural areas. The application promotes active learning by gamification, using the familiar motivators of achievement and collaboration. It will be fully co-created with users, further integrated into the FUTURAL platform and aligned with the VirtuALL initiative, ensuring its extensive reach and sustainability. This includes objectives such as:
- Increase knowledge of circular economy practices
- Revive traditional sustainable habits
- Bring communities into participatory activities
- Co-create and scaling solutions with older adults
TERRA.game enables actors to learn, share, and do something for a sustainable future.
Valdichiana4Green
Valdichiana Going Green: Empowering Rural Economy and Citizen Engagement for Sustainable Development
The Smart Solution (SS) promotes citizen engagement by applying models like IAP2 and Kolb’s Experiential Learning Cycle to tackle rural challenges: economic diversification, sustainable tourism, SME innovation, environmental sustainability, and youth inclusion. It empowers local tourism and agri-food SMEs through training and co-design sessions to develop new Business Models integrating hospitality and agri-food, supported by self-assessment tools aligned with sustainability. The SS enhances the area’s image as a “green” destination, attracting new tourism flows and economic opportunities. Sustainable businesses will have access to a dedicated space for dialogue, knowledge exchange, and network-building, but most importantly, a digital showcase to reach the market and present their sustainable offer to an interested audience. Data from various sources will inform the platform, while users actively shape the SS via workshops and digital tools. The consortium ensures alignment between business needs and policy goals. Designed for scalability, the SS is adaptable to other EU rural areas and builds on existing platforms like Tourism2030.eu, making it replicable and ready to support other local ecosystems.
WaterCoLab
Α novel diagnostic kit with cloud-based analysis and monitoring for bacteria detection in the public water network of Kozani, Greece
WaterCoLab aims to develop a cloud-based system, which is coupled with a portable molecular-based detection system for on-site bacteria detection in water, focusing on rural environmental samples. This smart solution addresses the increasing need for rapid, portable testing in rural communities where water quality and public health are critical concerns. Our solution offers ultrafast detection of Legionella using a portable device, which is easily extendable to other bacteria. The analysis is then stored in a cloud-based software, which enables monitoring. The system will enhance the resilience of a rural municipality (Kozani, Greece) to public health threats by providing real-time data and analysis, enabling immediate response and risk management. WaterCoLab will create new market opportunities for the participating partners, leading to sustainable rural development, improved health outcomes, and the promotion of smart solutions within rural communities. The public water authorities will be involved throughout the sub-project as the Municipality of Kozani is a full partner of the consortium, eager to embed and sustain the solution which will be developed.
XRTourGuide
An XR platform to guide real-life experiences with community-driven multimodal digital content
Many regions are rich in cultural heritage, but challenges like staff shortages and inadequate infrastructure limit engagement, reducing tourism, community involvement, and citizen opportunities. The sub-project will provide an online platform that allows users to manufacture and instantly deploy virtual tours quickly. The XR tours aim to enrich real-life experiences by augmenting reality with media insights using XR and AI.
This is addressed by collaborating with citizens in a pilot rural community to co-design the platform. A dedicated working group (ARGO-WG), which includes technical partners alongside local stakeholders—such as schools, municipalities, cultural and environmental associations, and tourism operators—will co-develop use cases. This initiative aims to bind rural community entities into a cohesive and empowering body through our ecosystem. It will have an active impact on the local economy, raise cultural awareness, and encourage greater citizen participation.
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