CERUSI – Central European Rural Social Innovation

The aim of project CERUSI is to improve skills and entrepreneurial competencies for advancing economic and social innovation in central European regions to make them more competitive. Also, the purpose of the project is to create Social Innovation Lab Caravans to build skills and capacities in social innovation, social entrepreneurship, and circular economy.

Duration

1.1.2020-31.12.2021

Donor

European Regional Development Fund

Project overview

The project reacts to the lack of support structures to keep people in the less-developed regions. Contrary to urban areas, these regions do not have accelerator hubs to start businesses or other options to uphold such activities. Although the EU has invested a lot in regional development, people in the most rural regions are often still not reached by the projects, because the institutions conducting these projects are situated in the comparatively well-equipped urban areas.

Project CERUSI adopts the innovative approach of so-called RSI_LAB Caravans that will harvest challenges and ideas of people from given regions. It will also provide a temporary support framework to achieve a partnership between local actors who want to bring their region forward.

CERUSI builds on tools focused on social innovation and social entrepreneurship that have been developed by other projects financed by the EU. The project will use training courses designed in the Social(i)makers project that provide interested citizens, innovators and ongoing entrepreneurs training modules on topics related to social innovation and social entrepreneurship.

EPIC n.o. will provide its long-term expertise and experience from the implementation of numerous projects and activities in the area of social economy in this project. It will involve relevant stakeholders and partners from different fields, including state and public administration, private companies, NGOs, interest groups, and academics. The focus will be primarily at the Banska Bystrica region.

Partners

GmbH ZSI – Centre for Social Innovation (Lead) – Austria
Regionalmanagement Burgenland GmbH – Austria
Social Impact – Germany
Democenter-Sipe Foundation – Italy
Foundation for Improvement of Employment Possibilities PRIZMA – Slovenia
EPIC non-profit organization – Slovakia
Cooperation Fund Foundation – Poland
Regional Development Agency of South Bohemia – Czechia
Foundation Cassa di Risparmio di Modena – Italy

Associated partners

Foundation Cassa di Risparmio di Modena – Italy
Union of Towns and Municipalities of the South Bohemian Region – Czechia
Development Agency of Banska Bystrica Self-governing Region – Slovakia
Municipality Zavrč – Slovenia
PRJ HALO, Haloze Rural Development Centre – Slovenia

Activities

Kick-off meeting in Vienna

CERUSI Newsletter n.1

Newsletter No.2_English

The non-profit organization EPIC continues to provide help to social entrepreneurs in Slovakia

The second local policy forum

CERUSI newsletter No.3

The non-profit organization EPIC continues to provide help to social entrepreneurs in Slovakia

The second local policy forum of the CERUSI project

CERUSI newsletter No. 4

CERUSI project is successfully completed!