Titled “Next-Gen Agriculture in Fundão: Rural Innovation from the Ground Up”, the webinar offered a hands-on look at how Fundão is reimagining food systems, forest management, and digital agriculture as a catalyst for #sustainability and rural revitalisation.

Led by Fabíola Figueira, Communication Manager at Fundão’s Innovation Department, the session featured local innovators shaping the future of food and land use:

🔍 João from the Municipality of Fundão gave an in-depth overview of the AgroTech ecosystem, including experimental farms, IoT infrastructure, digital agriculture pilots, and education programmes to attract young talent. Anchored by the AgroTech Centre, this ecosystem supports smart farming, biodiversity restoration, and inclusive innovation.

🌳 Gonçalo Amorim, Executive Board Member at Food4Sustainability CoLAB, introduced the Food Rural Park in Idanha, a regenerative silvopastoralism initiative. By combining science-based soil regeneration, livestock digital monitoring, and local breed resilience, the park promotes scalable models for climate-smart agriculture.

♻️ Daniel Abegão, Founder of CFER – Centre for Food Education and Research, presented NURTURE, a circular bioeconomy project turning unused sheep and goat whey into high-value protein ingredients. His lab has already created new jobs in Fundão and is also exploring olive pomace valorisation for wastewater treatment.

🚀 Rafhael Monteiro, CEO of UPinC, showcased a digital platform helping small farms automate irrigation and reduce resource use. With sensors and AI tools developed locally, UPinC exemplifies youth-led rural tech entrepreneurship.

From smart sensors and bio-labs to inclusive startup support, the Fundão model proves that small regions can drive big change — combining deep territorial knowledge with cutting-edge solutions.

🎥 The full recording of this session is available on the FoodCoP platform:
👉 https://www.platform-foodcop.eu/

La entrada 🚜 Next-Gen Agriculture in Action: How Fundão is Cultivating a Smart and Sustainable Rural Future se publicó primero en Foodcop - Fuelling Startup Villages.

Led by Fabíola Figueiro, of the Municipality of Fundão, the session showcased how the region has transformed rural challenges—such as depopulation and limited economic opportunities—into a thriving ecosystem of entrepreneurship and education.

Key highlights included:

• Inês Cama offered a strategic overview of Fundão’s innovation journey, underlining how digital infrastructure, coding education from age six, and local entrepreneurial opportunities have repositioned the territory as a resilient rural hub.

• Ana Patrício introduced Passwork, Fundão’s award-winning coworking and digital access initiative. With 10 collaborative hubs and support from nearly 80 partners, Passwork is redefining how remote communities stay connected, creative, and economically viable.

• Nuno Castela from the Polytechnic Institute of Castelo Branco shared an innovative youth-focused dual training programme, co-developed with Softinsa (IBM Group). This hands-on tech education in real work environments offers rural youth clear pathways into software careers without leaving their region.

• Manuel Poppy, founder of Star Mountain, demonstrated how a local-born startup can scale nationally. His venture streamlines complex compliance processes into accessible tools for regulated industries—illustrating the potential of rural innovation to reach broader markets.

The session painted a compelling picture: Fundão is not merely adapting; it is transforming. Through inclusive education, tech-enabled entrepreneurship, and collaborative infrastructure, the municipality is crafting a sustainable model for rural revitalisation—one that may well serve as inspiration across Europe.

🎥 The full recording of this session is available on the FoodCoP platform:
👉 https://www.platform-foodcop.eu/

La entrada 🌿 Local Innovation, Global Inspiration: Fundão’s Rural Transformation at the Centre of the 4th FoodCoP Webinar se publicó primero en Foodcop - Fuelling Startup Villages.

Kočevje, known for its pristine forests and resilient community, is emerging as a leader in sustainable rural development. With 86% of its territory covered in forest and only 16,000 inhabitants across 86 settlements, the municipality faces significant infrastructure and demographic challenges. Yet, through targeted initiatives, it is rewriting its future — one rooted in biodiversity, local entrepreneurship, and education.

From shared processing facilities and herb gardens to urban gardening projects and the innovative cooperative shop Zakladi Kočevske (Treasures of Kočevje), the session explored how diverse actors — from farmers and educators to entrepreneurs and municipal leaders — co-create a circular, resilient economy. The region’s Smart City strategy and investments in solar energy also reflect a commitment to aligning local actions with broader EU green and digital transitions.

Webinar participants discovered how Kočevje connects education, sustainability, and entrepreneurship into a unified model that inspires both community empowerment and strategic investment. The session left one clear message: small-scale rural initiatives, when networked and nurtured, can drive big transformations.

🎥 The full webinar recording is available on the FoodCoP platform:
👉 https://www.platform-foodcop.eu/

La entrada 🌱 Local Markets, Local Power: Exploring the Kočevje Model in the Second FoodCoP Startup Village Webinar se publicó primero en Foodcop - Fuelling Startup Villages.

Titled “Join Us to Explore Circular Solutions and Innovation in our Startup Village”, the webinar showcased inspiring projects from across Ireland that exemplify how environmental and social goals can align to create meaningful, scalable impact.

Four guest speakers shared their unique approaches:

🌳 Debbie Reynolds, founder of Local Roots, presented a compelling story of transforming overgrown farmland into a thriving native Irish tree nursery. Her project not only boosts biodiversity but also revives community spirit through hands-on tree planting and environmental education.

🌾 Liz Maher, CEO of Inspired and co-founder of Scotia Village, offered an inclusive model where people with intellectual disabilities engage in sustainable food production, climate education, and entrepreneurship. From organic farming to running their own Shopify store, participants are empowered to lead the change.

♻️ Fiona Kelleher, CEO of AmuGreen, introduced MyGug — a cutting-edge technology that turns food waste into renewable energy. Fiona shared how one Irish island community is putting this innovation into practice to strengthen circularity and resilience.

🧪 Colm Casey, founder of Anam Algae, closed the session with a look at biotech entrepreneurship. His startup cultivates mushrooms on coffee waste and develops microalgae-based products from industrial by-products — demonstrating how waste can truly become worth.

Each speaker illustrated how rural communities can lead the way in designing holistic, circular systems that benefit both people and the planet.

📺 The recording of the session is now available on the FoodCoP Platform:
👉  https://www.platform-foodcop.eu/

La entrada 🌿 From Local Fields to Global Impact: Circular Innovation at RDI Hub se publicó primero en Foodcop - Fuelling Startup Villages.

Titled “Success Story: How Can a Startup Village Support Local Success?”, the session featured Sonja Hribar, project manager and adult education organiser at PI Kočevje, and special guest Polona Šterk, founder of Pr’ Poloni in Juriju, a rural business rooted in local agriculture and traditional values.

Polona’s journey began not on a farm, but in an apartment — a world away from the land she now cultivates. Driven by job insecurity and a passion for nature, she and her partner transformed a modest garlic field into a thriving business. Today, their product — biofermented minced garlic — can be found on shelves across Slovenia under national retail chains like Spar and Interpar.

Throughout the session, Polona and Sonja explored the many enablers behind this transformation:

• Institutional support from PI Kočevje, including access to a fully certified food processing centre

• Financial assistance and visibility through the Zlata Šapa (Golden Paw) competition

• National reach through the Štartaj Slovenija entrepreneurial programme

• Mentorship and emotional support from family and the local business community

Participants learned how shared infrastructure, small grants, access to networks, and local competitions can collectively lower the barriers for rural startups. The importance of strong branding, traceability, and digital marketing was also highlighted, with Polona sharing how her personal story and transparent practices helped build customer trust.

Polona’s success is not just a business story; it’s a community story. Today, she serves as head of the food processing centre at PI Kočevje, mentoring other aspiring entrepreneurs and nurturing a growing ecosystem of rural innovation.

📺 The recording of the session is now available on the FoodCoP Platform:
👉https://www.platform-foodcop.eu/

La entrada 🌿 Local Roots, Global Lessons: Highlights from the First Webinar in the FoodCoP Startup Villages Series se publicó primero en Foodcop - Fuelling Startup Villages.

Led by three of the project’s key partners and Startup villages — Câmara Municipal do Fundão (Portugal), RDI Hub (Ireland) and Podjetniški inkubator Kočevje (Slovenia) — this series brings together local experiences, innovative ideas and practical tools to strengthen rural communities and support the transition to a circular bioeconomy.

Running from July to October 2025, the programme includes:

• 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Three hybrid events held on-site and online, offering local perspectives with international reach.

• 💻 Six thematic webinars showcasing success stories, new technologies, and collaborative approaches to rural development.

These events are open to everyone interested in:

• 🌍 Discovering real examples of innovation in rural areas

• 🤝 Connecting with European initiatives working at the intersection of food systems and entrepreneurship

• 💡 Learning how local action can inspire wider transformation

📅 Full Programme

🔹 Webinars

• 📆 19 August 2025 | 11:00–12:00
  Success Story: How can a Startup Village support local success?
  Host: Podjetniški inkubator Kočevje

• 📆 27 August 2025 | 14:00–15:30
  Join Us to Explore Circular Solutions and Innovation
  Host: RDI Hub

• 📆 4 September 2025 | 11:00–12:00
  Success Story: How can a Startup Village support local markets?
  Host: Podjetniški inkubator Kočevje

• 📆 5 September 2025 | 11:00–12:00
  Building Innovation Ecosystems in Rural Areas: The Case of Fundão
  Host: Câmara Municipal do Fundão

• 📆 12 September 2025 | 11:00–12:00
  Next-Gen Agriculture in Fundão: Rural Innovation from the Ground Up
  Host: Câmara Municipal do Fundão

• 📆 1 October 2025 | 12:00–13:30
  Cultivating Change: Stories from Land & Sea
  Host: RDI Hub

  *All times are in CEST

🔸 Hybrid Events

• 📆 5 July 2025
  FoodCoP at the Fundão Agricultural Innovation Fair
  Host: Câmara Municipal do Fundão

• 📆 17 September 2025 | 11:00–12:00
  An innovative approach to designing business models for sustainable food systems supported by artificial intelligence
  Featuring the MAG (Market Avenue Generator) by Jožef Stefan Institute
  Host: Podjetniški inkubator Kočevje

• 📆 23 September 2025
  Best Practice Examples
  Host: RDI Hub

  *All times are in CEST

🆓 All sessions are free to attend and will be accessible online.
🔗 Register now: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/7817567254609/WN_sLUgWm_0QliFS4cHyO3VRw

La entrada 🌱 Startup Villages in Action: A European Series of Events on Rural Innovation se publicó primero en Foodcop - Fuelling Startup Villages.

We invite you to:

1. Share your plans – Are you submitting your own response? it might be interesting to cross check the main recommendations to reinforce each others’ messages
2. Contribute to a joint submission – it can be in a form of a recommendation or pointing us to existing knowledge/research/papers from your organisation that we would reference.

🔍 Background:
This initiative aims to support a circular, climate-neutral economy by promoting sustainable biomass use across sectors like agriculture, forestry, fisheries, and biomanufacturing. It targets SMEs, startups, and rural/coastal communities, addressing challenges such as regulatory complexity, funding gaps, and innovation barriers.

📌 Key themes we’re exploring:

• Systemic approaches within planetary boundaries
• Place-based solutions with replication potential
• Multilevel governance and regulatory enablers/barriers
• Innovation (technological and systemic)
• Circularity mindsets and skills
• Biomass use (e.g. cascading, food-first)
• Carbon markets and business models

📩 How to engage:
Email elisa.fritsch@climate-kic to express interest or share inputs. Contributions can be short and informal – we’re looking for grounded, practice-based insights.

Let’s co-create impactful recommendations and showcase the strength of our community.

La entrada Call for Input: Contribute to Climate KIC’s Response on the Future of the EU Bioeconomy se publicó primero en Foodcop - Fuelling Startup Villages.

These interactive sessions offer essential tools for Startup Villages looking to scale their initiatives and engage with the broader ecosystem of rural innovation.

Why attend both workshops?
This series forms a complementary learning journey:

• “Communicating for Impact” (24 June) focuses on crafting compelling narratives, selecting the right channels, and engaging the right audiences to amplify your village’s visibility

• “Unlocking European Funding” (2 July) dives into the EU funding landscape and how to position your village to access support under Horizon Europe and other programmes.

Led by experts from Climate KIC and the Startup Europe Regions Network (SERN), both sessions combine strategic insight with practical advice.

Don’t miss this opportunity to strengthen your village’s strategy for sustainable transformation.

➡️ Register now:
24 June: https://climate-kic-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/13z8aKsuS6O4aQH33F_hWg
2 July: https://climate-kic-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/DxYk5WbLRCOO_yLRM67nwg

This project is funded by the European Research Executive Agency (REA) under the Horizon Europe programme 2021–2027.

La entrada Webinar series: Startup Villages Connect – Strategies for Impact & Growth se publicó primero en Foodcop - Fuelling Startup Villages.

Whether you are a startup, researcher, policymaker, or rural development practitioner, your insights are essential to improving the FoodCoP platform and ensuring it meets your needs.

We invite you to take a few minutes to complete our short feedback questionnaire. Your input will help us:

• Improve platform functionality

• Identify new features that would support your work

• Enhance accessibility and user experience

• Ensure the platform responds to the real needs of Startup Village communities and the wider bioeconomy ecosystem

Take the survey now:
Click here to access the feedback form

Thank you for your continued engagement and support. Together, we can shape a more sustainable, resilient, and innovative future for rural food systems across Europe.

This project is funded by the European Research Executive Agency (REA) under the Horizon Europe programme 2021–2027.

La entrada 📝 Help Us Improve the FoodCoP Platform – We Value Your Feedback! se publicó primero en Foodcop - Fuelling Startup Villages.

La entrada A New Hub for Rural Innovation: The FoodCoP Platform Is Now Live se publicó primero en Foodcop - Fuelling Startup Villages.