SIRR EU Interreg North Sea Project (EN)

SIRR - Sustainability, Innovation and Resilience in Rural areas

SUSTAINABILITY, INNOVATION AND RESILIET RURAL AND COASTAL AREAS

Background 

The general urbanization and the younger generations move to the larger university cities have made it necessary for the coastal and rural areas to come up with new ideas to maintain preexisting town communities and to continue being attractive for settlement and business. In that connection, local businesses, organizations, and innovators need support and it is essential that these actors - alongside authorities and knowledge partners - are provided the best possibilities for creating sustainable and robust development and growth in the rural and coastal areas. 

The Project 

The SIRR-project is set to develop locally anchored strategies and networks to both uphold and attract talent and entrepreneurial skills and increase action ability. The target groups are local innovators, small and medium-sized enterprises, associations, and local authorities who wish to attain better access to innovation support and increased innovation capacity by involving further actors and human capital in local innovations. The project’s organisation is structured around the Multi Helix Model which is used to form partnerships between municipalities, knowledge partners, local businesses, local population, and other actors.  

Via the project, the essential elements, values, competences, tools, and data, necessary to establish and implement real and effective social innovation processes in rural and coastal municipalities, are searched. Furthermore, focus will be to create social value throughout the process - not just for the final result. 

Sotenäs municipality in Sweden is Lead Partner and responsible for the overall project management.

Skagen Education Center is assisting Lead Partner and responsible for project communication.

Furthermore, the below associations and knowledge institutions are project partners: 

Denmark: Laesoe Tourist and Business Association, The Association Stenvad Mosebrug and Aarhus University

Sweden: University West, HoloHouse, Lysekil municipality and Strömstad municipality 

France: City of Louvigné Du desert, Community of Communes du Pays de Lumbres and Agency for Urban Planning and Development of the Saint-Omer Flandre Intérieure Region

Germany: University of Vechta

The transnational collaboration is to inspire and strengthen the shared European development of sustainable rural and coastal districts, focus will throughout the project be on creating various models for growth in the rural and coastal districts. 

The project is supported by the Interreg North Sea programme during and runs for five years, with kick-off on October 1st, 2022, and completion on September 30th, 2027. 

You can find more information about the project at: https://www.interregnorthsea.eu/sirr