The 4th European Rural Geographies Conference took place in Porto, Portugal from 22 to 26 June 2026, hosted by the University of Porto under the theme “Reinventing Rural Spaces: Resilience, Innovation and Sustainability in a Changing World”. The event brought together researchers, practitioners, and policymakers from across Europe to exchange knowledge on the futures of rural territories.
RUSTIK contributed to this year’s programme with two posters and one oral presentation, reflecting the project’s work across social inclusion, transdisciplinary methods, and digital innovation in rural areas.
Two Posters, Two Perspectives
The poster session featured two RUSTIK contributions, from the Institute for Rural Development Research (IfLS), the institution that coordinates the RUSTIK project.
Poster 1 — Comparing Social Inclusion Challenges in Rural Europe
“Comparing Social Inclusion Challenges in Rural Europe: Insights from Four RUSTIK Living Labs”,by Svea Thietje, Sarah Peter, and Carla Wember (IfLS).
Social and spatial inequalities increasingly shape rural development across Europe, yet their manifestations remain highly context-specific and are often poorly captured by existing data. Rural regions face challenges such as demographic change, limited services, and uneven development opportunities. The perspectives of under-represented groups are frequently missing from policy processes, highlighting the need for more participatory forms of knowledge production. Drawing on four RUSTIK Living Labs, this poster compares how different regions approach social inclusion challenges and explores what participatory methods can contribute to policy and practice.
Poster 2 — Knowledge through Transdisciplinary Methods
“Integrating System, Target and Transformation Knowledge through Transdisciplinary Methods: Insights from 14 Rural Living Labs in Europe” by Simone Sterly, and Carla Wember (IfLS).
This poster takes a project-wide perspective, presenting findings from all 14 RUSTIK Living Labs operating across 14 Pilot Regions in 10 European countries. It documents how Living Labs have experimented with new data collection and analysis tools, developed policy panoramas and transition narratives, built Theories of Change, and tested Decentralised Rural Proofing to address their specific transition challenges. The Integrating System, Target and Transformation framework is presented as a methodological contribution for structuring and advancing rural sustainability transitions.
Oral Presentation — Digital Innovation in Rural Areas
On 23 June, RUSTIK also featured in the oral session PS 3.6 · Changes, New Methods and Digital Innovation in Rural Areas (FCUP Auditorium FC6-029), chaired by Hossein Azadi, University of Ghent.
Under submission No. #100, Daniel Keech, Katarina Kubinakova, Aimee Morse, and Demelza Jones from the Countryside and Community Research Institute, University of Gloucestershire (UK) presented:
“Rural functions and digital transition: lessons from western England”
The presentation drew directly on the work of the Gloucestershire and Monmouthshire Living Labs — two of the RUSTIK Living Labs based in western England and Wales. The Gloucestershire Living Lab has focused on digital inclusion and data innovation, while the Monmouthshire Living Lab has explored demographic change through participatory mapping and dashboard tools. Together, they offer concrete evidence of how digital transition in rural areas requires social innovation alongside technological change — a key insight the presentation brings to the Porto audience.
Beyond RUSTIK’s Own Contributions
The RUSTIK presence at the conference extends beyond the project’s direct submissions. On 22 June, the Opening Session featured an inaugural lecture by Marion Eckardt from the ELARD Knowledge Hub — a RUSTIK consortium partner — under the title “From Practice to Policy: A Practitioner’s Journey Through the Development of Rural Europe”. It is a reminder that the conversation between research and practice lies at the core of what RUSTIK set out to do.
If you are attending the conference, the RUSTIK team looks forward to seeing you in Porto.
