On November 4th, 2021, more than a dozen representatives from twelve European regions were virtually convened by ICLEI Europe to discuss the integration of Culture and Natural Heritage (CNH) in Research and Innovation Smart Specialisation Strategies (RIS3). This interactive exchange carried on with the momentum that began at the 35th Breakfast@Sustainability's event last year, which gathered EU representatives, cultural experts, and rural participants and stakeholders to discuss the same topic.
Many regions share in a vision of CNH contributing to rural innovation and development. Building on that foundation, regions shared their own experiences during the workshop, outlining how they have built cultural and natural heritage into their own regional development strategies. Participants were able to share tips and best practices with others seeking to integrate CNH in their own strategies. Participants also contributed to a set of Policy Recommendations, which will be released in early 2022 by ICLEI Europe through the RURITAGE project.
Under the careful moderation of Alexandru Matei, Senior Officer in Urban-Regional Innovation, the conversations benefited greatly from guest speaker contributions:
- An overview of the current state of play by: Prof. Christer Gustafsson, Uppsala University
- A summary of examples from three regions by:
o Marcin Staniszewski, Opolski Centre for Economy Development; Poland
o Emmanuelle Lejeune, Mission to the EU of Hauts-de-France Region; France
o Dr. Hannes Slamanig, Office of the Carinthian State Government; Austria
Notably, participants emphasised the need to collaborate across sectors and areas of specialisation when designing and implementing regional development strategies. In particular, CNH stakeholders such as heritage experts or cultural organisations, should be brought into the economic regional policy-making spheres, where their presence has been limited thus far. All in all, connectivity, continuity and reliability of partnerships within regions are key to harnessing the potential of CNH for rural regeneration.
Participating regions included:
- Gobierno de Aragón, Spain
- Hauts-de-France Region, France
- Junta de Castilla y León, Spain
- North-East Regional Development Agency, Romania
- Northern & Western Regional Assembly, Ireland
- Office of the Regional Government of Carinthia, Austria
- Opolskie Centre for Economy Develompent/Opolskie Voivodeship, Poland
- Regional Development Agency “Centru”, Romania
- Regional Development Agency West, Romania
- Regione Marche, Italy
- Southern Regional Assembly, Ireland
- Strategická rada regionu Broumovsko (Strategic Board of Broumov Region), Czech Republic
To learn more about the RURITAGE project, visit here.