FUTURAL 1st annual meeting at Pisa!

On Tuesday, June 18, 2024, the annual consortium meeting of the FUTURAL Project commenced in Pisa, Italy. Twenty-one partners (21) from ten (10) countries gathered at the premises of the University of Pisa to participate in a two-day meeting and witness the project’s progress. Here’s a summary of what happened these two days:

Αn overview of what has been achieved so far

The first day was devoted to the development of the six different working categories of the project. The six partners in charge of the working categories informed the consortium about their achievements in the FUTURAL different working fields. Dr. Spyros Fountas, the project’s coordinator (AUA), opened the event with an introductory statement that set the stage for the day’s agenda. Professor Gianluca Brunori (UNIPI) gave a welcoming address.

Then, Carlo Giua (UNIPI) discussed the advances in community-led innovation and capacity building. Nikos Tantaroudas (ICCS) explored the progress in the development and delivery of Smart Solutions.

Matei Popovici (UPB) presented updates on the development of the Metasearch platform, detailing current progress and future steps, followed by a demo presentation. Natassa Koufaki (FSH) reviewed the communication and dissemination activities executed thus far and provided guidance on the initiatives planned for the coming months, with the Open Call launch ready to be launched.

Serafin Pazos Vidal (AEIDL) provided an overview of the advancements in the policy-making and governance framework. The first day of the annual meeting concluded with the presentations of two sister projects, Ruractive and SMART ERA. The first day ended in style, paving the way for an even more exciting second part!

MAPs and Smart Solutions in the spotlight!

On the second day of the meeting (19/06/2024) the focus was on the progress of the Multi Actor Pilots (MAPs) and the development of the Smart Solutions (SS) aimed at empowering the six rural areas of the FUTURAL MAPs: Κythira (Greece), Birda (Romania), Westhoek (Belgium), Durangaldea (Spain), Pongau (Austria) and Jonava (Lithuania).

The SS providers (AUA, ICSS, Tecnalia, Alchemia, ART 21, IHE-DELFT, DLR and LC) presented the current situation of the MAPs solutions, the challenges they have faced so far and the next steps towards the path of the SS testing.

At the end of the day, two collaborative sessions took place, aiming to familiarise the partners with the MAPs ecosystems. It has been a successful and fruitful meeting that set solid foundations for the joint cause of the project: to empower the future of rural areas!