Enhancing Innovation in rural regions

A new multi-stakeholder initiative on unlocking innovation potential and well-being in rural regions

WHAT'S THE ISSUE?

Innovation is the key to unlocking opportunities in rural regions. However, what drives innovators and early innovation adopters in a rural context is not well understood. Exploring and understanding this knowledge will:

Help rural areas improve their prospects for growth
Help policy makers support reforms to shift rural policies on placed-based innovation beyond a subsidy and sector specific approach

Critically, it reinforces the resilience of societies and economies in the face of global mega-trends such as demographic, technological and environmental change, and crises such as the recent COVID-19 pandemic.

WHAT CAN THE OECD OFFER?

The OECD is engaged in a new project on harnessing the innovation potential of rural areas. Rural regions across the OECD now depend on a wide range of economic engines for growth. Increasing networks through improved communications and reduced geographic distances are important drivers of economic change in rural areas.

Project status

More about rural innovation

A CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

WEBINAR: ADAPTIVE ECONOMIES - STRATEGIES FOR RESILIENT REGIONAL POLICY MAKING

On 20 May 2021, the OECD welcomed Amin Toufani, CEO of Silicon Valley based T Labs and founder of Adaptability.org to present a session titled “Adaptive Economies: Strategies for Resilient Regional Policy Making”. Participants learned about technological advancements impacting our economies and lifestyles at an exponential rate, along with implications for regional and rural development. Mr. Toufani offered a future-readiness framework for adaptive policy-making with the goal of turning barriers into opportunities for regional growth.

Read the proceedings

Areas of work

RURAL POLICY REPORTS & PAPERS

Rural well-being: Geography of opportunities

Linking Renewable Energy to Rural Development

Northern Sparsely Populated Areas

Business Development and growth of rural SMEs

Classifying small (TL3) regions based on metropolitan population, low density and remoteness

EVENTS

3rd Meeting of the Expert Advisory Committee on Rural Innovation, 26 July (Agenda)

2nd Meeting of the Expert Advisory Committee on Rural Innovation, 12-13 October 2020 (Summary Report)

1st Meeting of the Expert Advisory Committee on Rural Innovation, 3 & 5 June 2020 (Summary report)