What was the challenge/problem addressed?
With the aim of joining forces and optimizing strategies for rural development, this Network of Territorial Innovation Centers (CIT Network) has been created.
The CIT Network therefore serves as a connector for each of the provincial Innovation Centers and is the node or knot that connects the rural development ecosystems.
The Network was born with the vocation of being an organizational and collaborative environment, which reinforces the different strategies and actions promoted by each of the centers that comprise it. The function of the NETWORK is to facilitate the development of joint initiatives and the design and execution of common entrepreneurial projects in areas in demographic decline.
How did you solve the problem?
The reason for existing of the Territorial Innovation Centers (CIT) is to generate tools to reactivate territories in the process of depopulation and that suffer from social and economic imbalances.
A CIT must, therefore, be a speaker, energizer, activator, unifier and creator of rural ecosystems.
With them, the creation of collaborative innovation ecosystems is encouraged, with the aim of sharing projects, ideas and experiences. The starting point is that only by sharing knowledge between territories, that is, local knowledge generated from the uniqueness of each area, can the key factors for development be better identified and synergies can be taken advantage of, improving actions that are directed from the local level. towards a more global impact.
What is innovative in your practical case?
The main objective is to promote projects that already exist, as well as launch innovative initiatives, from a concept of “new rurality” that is based on collaboration, collective intelligence and socio-territorial innovation. The objectives of the CIT, aligned with the state Demographic Challenge policy, are:
– Dynamize the rural socioeconomic areas.
– Work on demographic challenges, supporting existing agents in the territory.
– Improve the quality of life of people who reside in rural environments.
. Retain and attract talent.
– Develop entrepreneurship.
– Seek territorial balance.
What are the success factors in solving the problem?
The CIT Network puts people and their relationships at the center, with the idea of working locally, but collaboratively, to efficiently and effectively energize territories undergoing depopulation.
Its organization is horizontal and all the agents that are relevant to the development of the territory are represented: local public entities, civil society actors, local action groups or similar rural revitalization entities, professional and business associations and all people who populate our rural spaces and who want to share proposals, solve problems or share knowledge from contact with the territory of each CIT.
Lessons learned
The main lessons learned can be summarized in five:
1.Exchange. Exchange of knowledge about the territory
2. Encourage. Promotion of innovative initiatives and their replicability.
3. Undertake. Promotion of economic activity, entrepreneurship and attraction of talent.
4. Create. Creation of a common repository of inspiring initiatives.
5. Participate. Participation in a common communication space that reinforces the feeling of belonging and roots.
What role does the advisor or advisory service play with the practical case?
This Network was born with the vocation of being an organizational and collaborative environment, which reinforces the different strategies and actions promoted by each of the centers that comprise it.
Agricultural advisors will be able to work in these CITs, collaborate with them, offer their services and use them as a networking node.
Can your approach be transferred and/or adapted for other innovation challenges and regions?
Yes
Estimated transferability on a scale from 1 to 5
(where 1 is easy and 5 very difficult)
2
For sharing the experience on the good practice, please contact
Juan Pedro Romero Trueba
jpromero@mapa.es
Link to external information
https://redcit.es/cit/