SIMRA workshop, Bratislava
The first transdisciplinary workshop of H2020 project SIMRA (Social Innovation in Marginalised Rural Areas) took place on October 26th – 28th 2016 in Bratislava. Marginalised rural areas in many cases include also mountain areas, in particular in the Carpathian Mountains. That is why the actions focused on developing territorial capital and enhancing social innovation in such areas is needed.
The workshop was hosted by the centre of excellence SPECTRA – joint research centre of the Institute of Forest Ecology Slovak Academy of Sciences, Slovak University of Technology and Comenius University in Bratislava and was endorsed by the Slovak presidency of the Council of the European Union. One of the organisers and local hosts of the event was prof. Tatiana Kluvankova, member of the S4C Scientific Steering Commitee. Dr. Lubos Halada, member of the S4C Executive Board also represented the Network on the event.
A mission of the trans-disciplinary approach of SIMRA is to advance academic excellence in order to promote the exchange of knowledge across various disciplines and expert arenas and to bridge the still existing gaps between science, policy and practice. The questions discussed included: What are the overall and specific variables of the emergence of social innovation in marginalised rural areas? How do they effect a range of success factors and the lessons learned in different rural areas? What are the most appropriate approaches, methods and tools that can be used for assessing social innovations? What does policy support to social innovation mean in different regional settings and contexts?
The H2020 project Social Innovation in Marginalised Rural Areas (SIMRA) coordinated by the James Hutton Institute was launched in April 2016 and is a 4-year project addressing the unlocking of growth potential of rural areas through an enhanced governance and social innovation.
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and innovation programme under Grant Agreement No 677622.
Contact: Project Coordinator – Prof. Maria Nijnik, James Hutton Institute