RUSTIK is a four-year transdisciplinary research project aiming to enable rural communities’ actors and policy makers to design better strategies, initiatives and policies fostering sustainability transitions of rural areas.
In consideration of increasing social and ecological challenges, the project envisages an analysis of current adaption requirements and the support of effective rural policy-making processes. The project will contribute to an advanced understanding of different rural functionalities and characteristics as well as the potentials and challenges of rural areas.
Central specific objectives are to provide:
a robust methodological framework for functional rural areas
databases integrating data of different types and sources
improved strategies and governance approaches for rural decision makers and stakeholders
Living Labs in 14 European Pilot Regions in 10 European countries will be the central element of an action-oriented multi-actor approach to researching rural diversity and societal transformations.
