Title: Fostering Sustainable, Balanced, Equitable, Place-based and Inclusive
Development of Rural-Urban Communities’ Using Specific Spatial Enhanced
Attractiveness Mapping ToolBox
Short name: PoliRuralPLUS
Grant agreement no: 101136910
Duration: 01/2024 – 12/2026
HEU topic: HORIZON-CL6-2023-COMMUNITIES-01-2
HEU type of action: Innovation Action
Total budget: 6,201,312.50 EUR
Coordinator: Czech Technical University in Prague

The objective of PoliRuralPLUS is to foster a sustainable, balanced, equitable, place-based and inclusive development of rural and urban areas through improved connections, governance arrangements, and integrated territorial policies that prioritise experimentation and innovation in domains that favour bi-directional urban-rural synergies and the
development of a well-being economy.

Key focus will be driven by Foresight, planning and implementation of integrated urban-rural strategies. The PoliRuralPLUS project aims to improve the quality of life for people living in urban and rural areas across the EU by promoting coordinated and collaborative development within the regions. The project will support 9 pilot projects (including 8 from the previous PoliRural project and 1 new project) that focus on developing rural-urban partnerships.

The aim is to increase the resilience and interconnectedness of urban and rural areas.
In terms of financing, the project will demonstrate successful application of funding mechanisms to support these partnerships, including public-private partnerships, crowdfunding, and other innovative financing models. The goal is to find sustainable financing solutions that can support the long-term development of these partnerships.
PoliRuralPLUS will validate an EU-wide regional-driven integrated territorial planning & implementation Action-Foresight Process & Tool Box, by extending the latter’s Innovation Hub through the European Digital Innovation Hubs using open-source System Dynamic Modelling & a GIS collaborative online service called Map Whiteboard, enhanced by up-to-date Artificial Intelligence and Deep Learning (AI/DL) applicable algorithms.

The project has an ambition to become an integral part of the New European Bauhaus due to its lighthouse success of gradual buildup of hands-on experience using up-to-date tools supporting decision-making process based on foresight principles.