The main objective of the OREN project is to involve agricultural entrepreneurs in an interactive learning programme, specifically designed and addressed to the rural development issues in the COVID era. To this aim, the project stipulates the development of an interactive, multi-stakeholder platform that will contain sustainable rural business models, simulation models and mathematical tools, accompanied by managerial courses targeted to agricultural entrepreneurs. The OREN’s scope is related to offering training opportunities for the participants in advanced managerial and business skills aiming at improving their expertise and skills in understanding and modelling potential good practices.
Along these lines, the OREN objectives are to:
- Discover insights and emerging patterns regarding rural business development;
- Discover and analyse factors (environmental, socio-economic, geographical etc.) that contribute to successful rural businesses;
- Analyse the structural elements of rural development, map the relationships that might lead to successful business models, and explore them through simulation with the purpose of identifying potential policies and points of unintended consequences;
- Develop and promote work-based learning for agricultural entrepreneurs with the purpose of increasing their business skills
To reach its objectives the project aims at implementing the following activities:
- Establish a multi-stakeholder interaction, as a valuable strategy to enhance the modern rural economy opportunities,
- Build and transfer a “dynamic capability”, which can help rural actors to engage in multi-stakeholder interaction for sustainability and maintain their profits at the same time.
- Increase the business skills of rural entrepreneurs by promoting continuous education and training in advanced aspects of business management.
During its 24-month lifetime, OREN will produce the following results:
- A survey of the most promising community-based rural business models, providing in – depth analysis of success or limiting factors
- a report on the fundamental dynamics explaining the community- based approach elaborated through a collaborative model building approach, addressing environmental and social dynamics, pattern emergence, triggers and catalyzers, risks mapping;
- A multi-stakeholder online platform and interactive learning environment including a suite of simulation models, real life scenarios and a set of 5 complementary courses, with related course materials, to be provided.
- A report on the analysis of policies, guidelines, and recommendations with respect to rural development strategies
OREN at a glance:
- 5 national reports and one EU report on the dynamics of rural business models and driving factors
- Analysis of at least 18 case studies of successful rural entrepreneurship business models
- 6 Online surveys with the participation of at least 60 respondents
- Analysis of at least 18 existing practices and programs in all countries
- Number of rural entrepreneurs benefited through participation in trainings(at least 40)
- 3 Public Conferences and 1 Final International Conference with the participation of more than 280 persons
- At least 8 organisations involved beyond the project partnership
- Number of stakeholders that will declare that they will implement OREN’s training modules (at least 30)
- At least 2000 persons involved beyond the project participants
- 1 project website
