Project
VIBE
Vibrant Innovation Boost for Rural Entrepreneurs
| Acronym | VIBE |
|---|---|
| Funding | European Research Executive Agency, European Commission (Program for Research and innovation of the European Union – Horizon Europe) |
| Duration | From 01.01.2027 |
Overview
VIBE (Vibrant Innovation Boost for Rural Entrepreneurs) addresses the persistent failure to translate rural potential into resilient, inclusive, and competitive local economies. Despite possessing valuable natural resources, ecosystem services, and cultural assets, rural areas across Europe face fragmented innovation systems, weak entrepreneurship pathways, persistent skills gaps, and competitiveness frameworks that overlook the social dimensions determining whether innovations are adopted and sustained. VIBE will establish eight Rural Living Labs across Spain, North Macedonia, Romania, Finland, Greece, Poland, Austria, and Belgium, to develop a novel innovation model.
The project develops: (1) a Rural Sustainable Competitiveness Framework integrating economic, environmental, and social indicators at NUTS3 level, including ecosystem services valuation and a social inclusion audit; (2) an open digital intelligence infrastructure to foster entrepreneurial cooperation, value chain creation, and access to funding; (3) three territorial intelligence services for community asset 3D mapping, climate vulnerability simulation, and GBI ecosystem services quantification; (4) an FSTP cascade funding scheme for young entrepreneurs (€800K, ≥16 subprojects, ≥30% women-led) with an innovation accelerator and ecosphere for knowledge replication; and (5) a rural digital literacy and entrepreneurship training programme with university-community linkages.
VIBE’s methodology is structured around five interdependent pillars: Understand, Enable, Accelerate, Empower, Connect to ensure that improved service access and viable business creation are mutually reinforcing outcomes.
The project builds on validated results from Horizon Europe projects (INSPIRE, AGRINEXT, REHUBS, AGRO-WELL, TREEADS) and involves 20 partners across 10 countries. All outcomes will be co-designed with rural actors, and validated through structured test-learn-adapt cycles across the eight RLLs.
AGFUTURA Role
AGFT will host and run the Prespa Rural Living Lab in North Macedonia, which focuses on nature-based agrotourism and youth entrepreneurship. The area faces youth out-migration, fragmented agri-tourism offers and weak support for nature-based start-ups. AGFT will set up the lab with inclusive governance and engage key local actors, including Resen Municipality, the Women of Prespa NGO, apple producers and tourism operators. It will also collect their needs to guide the co-design of VIBE’s digital tools.
AGFT will then deploy and validate these tools in real conditions through a nature-based agrotourism start-up and an organic apple value chain. It will organise learning events in all eight Rural Living Labs and deliver entrepreneurship and digital-skills training, building on its MojaFarma.mk advisory platform and its experience from the CARBONICA project.
As an SME, AGFT will help shape nature-based business cases for the cascade-funding open calls and will use validated results in its advisory, training and digital services.