The European Startup Village Forum

The Startup Village Forum is part of a larger vision for rural areas in the EU. In 2021, the European Commission set out the Long-Term Vision for the EU’s Rural Areas. The Vision identifies several areas of action toward stronger, connected, resilient and prosperous rural areas and communities by 2040. The Vision recognises the enabling role of innovation to empower citizens and entrepreneurs to seize these opportunities offered by current societal, environmental and digital transformations. It includes a flagship action on Research and Innovation for Rural Communities aiming at contributing to the development of a strong ecosystem, which brings together public and private players for rural communities to thrive, and be an attractive place for innovators to work and live.

In this context, the annual European Startup Village Forum intends to promote knowledge exchange and cooperation activities and to work as an open space where institutions and stakeholders can meet, discuss and shape action for startup-driven innovation in rural areas.

This 2023 edition of the Forum will discuss the main elements and enabling conditions of the Startup Village concept through a genuine science-for-policy interaction, supporting the identification and analysis of triggering factors for innovation and startup creation in rural areas. Participants are also expected to debate and propose concrete actions on how the Forum can develop as a linking device to work together with existing initiatives and connect actors around the challenge of startup creation in rural areas and the importance of developing performing place-based innovation ecosystems.

It will be chaired by European Commission Vice-President Dubravka ŠUICA, Commissioners FERREIRA, GABRIEL, and WOJCIECHOWSKI, and European Committee of the Regions Vice-President, Apostolos TZITZIKOSTAS.

The event’s programme can be found here.

Register here via your ECAS account before 21 st February. 

Note: after clicking on the registration button, you will be redirected to the EU login page. If you do not have an EU login account, please create one to be able to register for the event.