Rural Sustainability Transitions through Integration of Knowledge for improved policy processes – RUSTIK
Date: -
Supervisor in IGSO PAS: Jerzy Bański
Contractors: Jerzy Bański, Ewa Korcelli-Olejniczak, Marcin Mazur
Acronym: RUSTIK
Leading partner: VEREIN FUER LANDLICHE STRUKTURFORSCHUNG EV
Foreign partner: VEREIN FUER LANDLICHE STRUKTURFORSCHUNG EV (IFLS), PIC 999750289,
established in KURFUERSTENSTRASSE 49, FRANKFURT AM MAIN 60486, Germany,
and the following other beneficiaries, if they sign their ‘accession form’ (see Annex 3 and Article 40):
2. BUNDESANSTALT FUR AGRARWIRTSCHAFT UND BERGBAUERNFRAGEN (BAB),
PIC 998876513, established in DIETRICHSTRASSE 27, WIEN 1030, Austria,
3. FUNDACION EMPRESA UNIVERSIDAD GALLEGA (FEUGA), PIC 951915806,
established in RUA LOPE GOMEZ DE MARZOA CAMPUS UNIVERSITARIO SUR, SAN
Orderer institution: European Commission
No.: HORIZON-CL6-2021-COMMUNITIES-01
The overarching objective of RUSTIK is to enable rural communities’ actors and policy makers to design better
strategies, initiatives and policies fostering sustainability transitions of rural areas, through an advanced understanding
of different rural functionalities, characteristics and future scenarios of rural areas, their potentials and challenges.
Central specific objectives are to provide (1) a robust methodological framework for functional rural areas, (2) databases
integrating data of different types and sources, (3), improved strategies and governance approaches for rural decision
makers and stakeholders, and (4) improved approaches for rural impact assessment and decentralised rural proofing.
RUSTIK aims to substantially contribute to enhancing existing European policy tools and approaches, most of all to
support the European Green Deal, the European Digital Strategy, the European pillar of Social Rights and the EU Long-
Term Vision for Rural Areas of the European Union.
RUSTIK addresses the topic by illuminating three key transitions in rural areas, i.e. (1) socio-economic, (2) climate
change and environmental, and (3) digital. Five types of rural functions are RUSTIK’s starting point for characterising
the diversity of rural areas and their capacity to respond to these transitions.
In order to achieve its overarching and specific objectives, RUSTIK will (1) create a conceptual basis for functional rural
areas, transition and resilience of rural areas building on previous research, (2) co-design data collection approaches, and
(3) investigate policy frameworks and coordination mechanisms. Closely interrelated with all of these activities, Living
Labs in 14 European Pilot Regions in 10 European countries will be the central element of an action-oriented multi-actor
approach to researching rural diversity and societal transformations.