1. Which role for the private sector in Rurban partnerships?
Graham Russell
OECD Expert, Rurban

2. A missing piece? How can the private sector being engaged?
What is the case for business having a role?
Is the private sector active in Rurban?
The future scope for the private sector?

3. How can the private sector be engaged?
Co-design
Work together to shape new initiatives which address important issues.
Collaborative action
Partnership approach to implementation – both as pilots or large scale delivery.
Communication
Useful for sharing knowledge, updating on policy development, and discussing live issues.
Change agents
Businesses become innovators and market influencers for others to adopt good practice.
How can the private sector be engaged?

4. The value for business Networking Relationship building
Profile and reputation
Public funding
Co-design programmes
Joint venture delivery
Innovation
Recognition

5. The value for the public sector
Useful insights
Business acumen
Co-design programmes
Share resources
Joint venture delivery
Market testing
Business take to scale
Pace

6. Is the private sector active in rurban partnerships?
Little evidence in most cases.
Emilia – Romagna , small firm private sector engaged with Province acting as facilitator (agri) or translator (tourism).
Jyvaskyla has development companies at local level to exploit local opportunities.

7. The future scope to engage the private sector
Fix partnership process engineering first
Focus on the issues for the private sector
Specify outputs/outcomes required
Leave headroom for new approaches
Measure key performance indicators regularly
Engage supply chains
Flexible boundaries as merited
Clear leadership important

8. Which role for the private sector in Rurban partnerships?
Not to be specifically considered in the Rurban report
But an agenda which could provide a step change in how urban and rural areas partner
Advocacy from EU would be powerful
Focus on the outcomes wanted
Enterprising approach not bureaucratic