As part of European Regions week, an online workshop will be held from 11.30-13.00 CET on October 14th 2021 on the theme “Rural Connections – green and digital innovation to unlock the potential of rural and remote areas”. The workshop is organised by the European Broadband Competence Offices Network and the Council of European Municipalities and Regions.
Registration for the workshop
The workshop explores how recent innovation can improve the vitality and sustainability of rural and remote communities – from health, education and digitalisation to mobility and agriculture.
Workshop Agenda
Welcome – Andreas Wolter, Mayor of the City of Cologne, Climate Alliance President
Introduction – Clara Aguilera, Member of the European Parliament, Co-Chair of the European Parliament Intergroup on Rural, Mountainous and Remote Areas (RUMRA) and Smart Villages
Digitalisation – Eddy Hartog, Technologies for Smart Communities, Head of Unit, European Commission Directorate General for Communications Networks, Content and Technologies (DG CNECT)
Healthcare – Simona Ferrante, Project ESSENCE (Empathic platform to personally monitor, stimulate, enrich, and assist elders and children in their environment), Associate Professor at the Polytechnic University of Milan
Education – Goran Škvarč, e-Schools (2020 REGIOSTARS competition awardee in the category ‘Skills and Education for a digital Europe’), Deputy Project Manager, National Research and Education Network of Croatia (CARNET)
Agriculture – George Beers, The Internet of Food and Farm 2020 (IoF2020), Project Coordinator, Wageningen University and Research
Mobility – Carola Gunnarsson, Lord Mayor of Sala, Swedish Association of Local Authorities
Questions and Answers, Spokesperson for the Council of European Municipalities and Regions
Concluding remarks – European Broadband Competence Offices Network Support Facility