On September 1, 2025, at CEiiA | Engineering and Product Development Centre, the host institution of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network’s Portugal network (SDSN Portugal), the network signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with three Portuguese municipalities — Matosinhos, Braga, and Guimarães — as well as two higher education institutions, the University of Minho […]
Other LD events & activities
‘From vision to action: Empowering rural areas for the future’ – Highlights from the Rural Pact Conference
The Rural Pact Conference “From vision to action: Empowering rural areas for the future”, organised at the Château du Biez near Kortrijk (Belgium) on 16 and 17 September 2025, brought together 250 rural stakeholders from all over the EU and beyond, to exchange, network and discuss how to move forward with the Rural Vision till 2040 and […]
Rural Women Innovators (RUWI) Award
Applications are open until 31 October 2025 for the Rural Women Innovators (RUWI) Award. This new award, part of the GRASS CEILING project, celebrates and empowers women who are driving socio-ecological innovation in rural areas. It aims to increase the number of women-led innovations in farming, rural economies, and communities, fostering sustainability, inclusion, and well-being. The winner […]
Policy Action Lab – Rural areas and communities in the post-2027 EU budget and policies
This Policy Action Lab, Rural areas and communities in the post-2027 EU budget and policies, is organised by the Rural Pact Support Office and will take place on 5 November 2025 in Brussels (Pullman Brussels Centre Midi). It will offer an opportunity to discuss with the Rural Pact Community the recent European Commission proposals for […]
FUTURAL Policy Webinar 21 May 2025 – Smarter, stronger and more competitive rural areas
Smarter, stronger and more competitive rural areas: the way forward for EU policies (21 May 2025, 9.30-11.30 am CEST, online) Building on the European Local Innovation Forum (ELIF) held in November 2024 and following the RURACTIVE Forum in February 2025, the policy dialogue continue. As the EU Institutions are preparing the next Multi Annual Financial Framework […]
ELIF – Expert Voices
‘Expert Voices’ features AEIDL experts and ELIF members who bring first hand experience and knowledge to the community. There are several interviews alreday available HERE on topics, such as: Social Innovation & Public Policy Sustainable rural development Community-Led Climate Action & Local Resilience Rural Europe: Policy, Vision & Action Multisectoral solutions for Rural Resilience ELIF […]
LDnet webinar – EU Climate neutral cities by 2050, a serious challenge for European cities! – 23 April 2025
Following the considerable interest shown on the theme of participative approaches, LDnet has included a webinar on “collaboration about sustainable cities and multi stakeholder approaches” in its 2025 webinar series. The webinar will take place on Wednesday 23 April 2025 at 16.30 CEST and it is led by Maria Joao Filgueiras Rauch. EU Climate neutral cities […]
Understanding the territorial patterns of climate discontent – 11 March 2025, Brussels
Across Europe, discontent is fueling the rise of anti-systemic sentiments, often in regions negatively impacted by economic transformations, including climate policies. The JRC Exploratory Research Activity on Climate Discontent aims to explore the relationship between climate change, climate mitigation policies, and regional discontent in Europe, with a focus on understanding how these three dimensions interact in […]
Local Action Groups as Territorial Development Polities
On 11 December 2024, Miriam de Oliveira Gonçalves presented her research on urban CLLD Local Action Groups (LAGs) in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area as part of the EPRC webinar series. Her talk gave an overview of her ongoing PhD work at URBinLAB – Urbanism & Territorial Dynamics in Lisbon. EU-funded LAGs were lauded for their […]
Community-led value for social innovation
This webinar, on 12 December 2024, from 10 am to 1 pm CET, will launch of the Community-Led Social Innovation (CLSI) network as part of the European Local Innovation Forum (ELIF) thematic community! The event will highlight inspiring examples of CLSI projects, showcasing innovative practices from the recent call for projects that tackle local social challenges […]
Examining Local Action Groups as Territorial Development Polities: CLLD in Lisbon Metropolitan Area
This EPRC webinar will take place on Wednesday 11 December 2024, from 12:00 to 13:00 CET (11:00 to 12:00 UK time). It will showcase a new paper by Miriam de Oliveira Gonçalves, João Morais Mourato, André Pereira & Cristina Cavaco and will provide an opportunity for discussing its findings and conclusions. Over the past three decades, Local Action Groups […]
The Michael Dower Award for European Rural Resilience
This new award was launched on 15 October 2024 and is now open for applications. It aims to showcase great examples of how local communities and individuals are tackling economic, environmental, and social challenges to build rural resilience. It also seeks to boost local empowerment across Europe by helping applicants share their experiences, practices, and […]