RURALITIES is a first-of-its-kind Coordination and Support Action project for it structures inclusively key actors of the rural scene (RURNex) in a trans-continental and balanced setting ca 40% from fellow African Union (AU) countries and 60% from fellow pan-EU countries.

In addition, RURALITIES engages ca 20% of the overall project grant to fellow AU countries and project to raise funds up to 5 million euros via private channels and donors to finance as many AU-based projects identified via WP-5.

The figures outline the intercontinental partnership.

Each partner bring a five or more structural  proficiencies corresponding to:

• the environmental dimension e.g., water and natural resources, ecology, biodiversity, habitat, nutrients budgets and flows, and other miscellaneous expertise such as climate, energy, biomass, pollution, ecology, biology, physics, chemistry, plant science, zoology, mineralogy, oceanography, limnology, soil science, geology and physical geography, atmospheric science, GIS, remote sensing and hydrographic, etc.
  
  
• economics or socio-economics (primary, secondary and tertiary sectors;
  
  
• social sciences and humanities dimension e.g., healthcare, education and training, heritage, culture and the arts, employment and social affairs, law at large (policy, regulatory frameworks and compliance regimes) and miscellaneous proficiencies such as anthropology, geography, sociology, behavioural sciences, human geography, media studies, political science and international relations, psychology, social policy and sociology, foresight, social affairs, public services, etc.
  
  

In addition, quasi all the partners engaged in the project gather an extensive experience of large-scale international initiatives, acquired non only in the EU-funded projects arena, but also via transcontinental developments implemented in the research and innovation action scene (universities, research centers, think tank, etc., or in the development aid arena (civil society organisations, regional managing authorities, etc.).

Partners started building strategical cooperation in March 2021 around a shared vision regarding the needs and challenges of sustainable rural development via the two core dimensions of RURALITIES: expertise and education and training.

Especially, each partner with no exception is highly experienced in: (a) capacity building activities in formal, non-formal and informal learning settings (pedagogy, andragogy, learners’ needs analysis, methodologies, etc.); (b) implementing research and innovation action in the rural scene and (c) knowledge transfer instructional engineering and deployment.

RURALITIES is structured by a rural-knowledge driven partnership at different level and position of key dimensions of the rural innovation scene, also to ensure an effective deployment throughout pan-EU-AU regions. These dimensions are structured in all four levers of transformation e.g., science and innovation, economy and finance, individual and collective action and governance. Partners are more specifically gathered around there ability and experience with inclusion and equity to ensure rural people from vulnerable groups are adequately approached and recruited.

Completing and interrelating partners consolidate this central expertise by bringing proficiency in policy research and development, technology and innovation, funding schemes and ventures, education, and participative research.

All partners develop on rural innovation related matters on a frequent basis. RURALITIES assemble an exceptional number of partners with the most accurate expertise and experience for the achievement of the envisioned outcomes, combining partners with extensive EU project experience, providing a substantial uptake from past and ongoing projects, with recently engaged organisations.