1. “SIMRA: Social Innovation in Marginalised Rural Areas"
29 January 2019, Committee of the Regions, Brussels
Marie Clotteau,
Director of Euromontana
This project has received funding from the European(s Union Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under Grant Agreement No
SIMRA – Smart villages: Integrated strategic approaches to innovation in rural areas– 29 January 2019

2. Plan A few words about SIMRA and our findings on social innovation
Some examples of social innovation
How to trigger action? What policy-makers can do?
This project has received funding from the European(s Union Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under Grant Agreement No
SIMRA – Smart villages: Integrated strategic approaches to innovation in rural areas– 29 January 2019

3. What is SIMRA (Social Innovation in Marginalised Rural Areas)?
A research project (H2020)
seeks to advance understanding of social innovation and innovative governance in agriculture, forestry and rural development, and how to boost them
What have we done so far:
a definition for social innovation,
collected hundreds of examples of social initiatives, 50 of which are public in our database. 
launched 12 case studies and 6 innovation actions
A research project (H2020)
seeks to advance understanding of social innovation and innovative governance in agriculture, forestry and rural development, and how to boost them, particularly in marginalised rural areas across Europe, with a focus on the Mediterranean region.
a definition for social innovation, characterised marginalised rural areas across Europe and the Mediterranean region and collected hundreds of examples of social initiatives, 50 of which are public in our database. We have also launched 12 case studies and 6 innovation actions that will activate rural territories and disseminate new knowledge to policy-makers and practitioners
This project has received funding from the European(s Union Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under Grant Agreement No
SIMRA – Smart villages: Integrated strategic approaches to innovation in rural areas– 29 January 2019

4. What is social innovation?
“the reconfiguring of social practices, in response to societal challenges, which seeks to enhance outcomes on societal well-being and necessarily includes the engagement of civil society actors”
Reconfiguring: doing something differently
Addressing societal challenges
Seeking enhanced societal wellbeing
Involving active engagement of civil society
This project has received funding from the European(s Union Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under Grant Agreement No
SIMRA – Smart villages: Integrated strategic approaches to innovation in rural areas– 29 January 2019

5. Some examples of Social Innovation
Baba Residence (Factory for Ideas)
Kinderbetreuung.it
Photo credit: European Forum on Nature Conservation and Pastoralism
Scotland:
ELECTRIC SUSTAINABLE SOURCES TO CONNECT Communities (UK)
a cost-effective platform enabling the real time matching of local electricity generation and local electricity demand at a distribution network level, tackling the varying conditions and limited capacity of local grids to take on renewable electricity generation during periods of high generation and/or low demand
Bulgaria:
ATTRACTING YOUNG PEOPLE in depopulated villages with the BABA RESIDENCE (bulgaria)
ZEITBANK 55+ TIME BANK (AUSTRIA)
THE ADDED VALUE OF SOCIAL FARMING FOR RURAL FAMILIES (italy) (CS brochure)
ECONOMOUNTAIN (PORTUGAL) (mountain brochure)
Photo credits: Zeitbank 55+
This project has received funding from the European(s Union Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under Grant Agreement No
SIMRA – Smart villages: Integrated strategic approaches to innovation in rural areas– 29 January 2019

6. What obstacles do social innovators face?
High start up costs (in some cases)
Institutional barriers and even suppression
Risk averse public sector officials and policies
Insufficient human capital/leadership
Weak social capital/trust in some places
Apathy and disengagement and naysayers in the community(“it can’t be done” …….“it will never work”)
So social innovators have a lot of obstacles to overcome:
Running out of steam/burn out
Key people stepping back
Taking a step (or two) too far
Accepting failure
The ability of relatively advantaged places to perpetuate advantage (and vice versa)
Getting an income stream
Getting the scale of intervention right
This project has received funding from the European(s Union Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under Grant Agreement No
SIMRA – Smart villages: Integrated strategic approaches to innovation in rural areas– 29 January 2019

7. Where can policy make a difference?
Support capacity building/training
Support effective community engagement
Support formation and capacity building of community hubs/anchor organisations
Fund non statutory village development plans
Create appropriate sector-specific policies (e.g. community feed in tariff for renewables; grant to loan)
Enable asset transfer of redundant/underused buildings and land to the community
Get Social Innovation explicitly supported in RDPs and OP
So social innovators have a lot of obstacles to overcome:
Running out of steam/burn out
Key people stepping back
Taking a step (or two) too far
Accepting failure
The ability of relatively advantaged places to perpetuate advantage (and vice versa)
Getting an income stream
Getting the scale of intervention right
This project has received funding from the European(s Union Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under Grant Agreement No
SIMRA – Smart villages: Integrated strategic approaches to innovation in rural areas– 29 January 2019

8. Where can policy make a difference?
Policies targeted at Social Demands and Needs, societal intergration of excluded groups („Social“ Policies)
Cohesion Strategies, Regional and Rural Development Plans („Integrated Policies“): ESIF
Policies targeted at participation and engagement of Civil Society („Transformation Policies“ for institutional change): LEADER/CLLD / Smart Villages
This project has received funding from the European(s Union Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under Grant Agreement No
SIMRA – Smart villages: Integrated strategic approaches to innovation in rural areas– 29 January 2019

9. Useful tools for you Brochures of examples
12 case studies
Rural services
In the Balkans
In mountain areas
Forestry (soon)
Innovation actions (soon)
A public database of examples
Policy briefs:
How can social innovation support the future of Food and Farming?
A policy guide (soon)
A practitionner guide (soon)
Scientific articles and presentations
Newsletters /website / social networks
This project has received funding from the European(s Union Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under Grant Agreement No
SIMRA – Smart villages: Integrated strategic approaches to innovation in rural areas– 29 January 2019