Timeline calendar
CoP workshop on access to finance in Austria
SERIGO partners posing with the SERIGO roll-up[/caption]On 16 June 2026, AEIDL organised the third SERIGO Community of Practice (CoP) Workshop on ‘Access to funding and finance for community-led social innovation in rural areas’ in Villach, Austria.
Webinar: Understanding intersectionality and women’s health in rural Europe
On 6 May 2026, SERIGO held a webinar dedicated to the concept of intersectionality and how women’s health in rural areas can help us better understand it. The webinar was the 4th of a series of events hosted by the SERIGO Community of Practice (CoP), dedicated to advancing social innovation for the inclusion of vulnerable groups in rural areas.
Webinar on how community-led initiatives are supporting older people in rural Europe
Older people living in rural areas face overlapping challenges anchored in territorial inequalities, that go beyond ageing itself. This webinar explored key insights from experts and practitioners on how to better support older people while strengthening social connections and resilience in rural areas.
Webinar on women's pathways to work and empowerment in rural Europe
Empowering women in rural areas is not only about creating jobs. As our SERIGO webinar on Women’s pathways to work and empowerment in rural Europe made clear, it is first and foremost about building confidence, shifting mindsets, strengthening community ties and accessing the right support.
ESIRA and SERIGO call for a more holistic vision to rural policy planning
ESIRA and SERIGO projects organised a joint policy workshop held on 20 November 2025 in Brussels, to explore how community-led social innovation can enhance the social inclusion of vulnerable groups in rural areas. The event gathered 33 participants, including researchers, representatives from the European Commission..
CoP Workshop: Advancing social inclusion of marginalised groups
The workshop brought together practitioners, researchers, policymakers, and community leaders to explore effective strategies and innovative approaches to enhancing the social inclusion of marginalised groups. Through an open, participatory format, we explored how community-driven initiatives and policy support can work hand-in-hand to foster lasting inclusion.
Consortium meeting in Bratislava, Slovakia
The SERIGO partners met in Bratislava, Slovakia, from 10 to 12 September 2025. The partners attended the Forum Carpaticum and visited the Municipality of Ostrovany, where a SERIGO supported pilot project is addressing social and economic exclusion of vulnerable communities.
Partners met at the 30th ESRS Congress in Riga
From July 7 to 11, 2025, SERIGO project partners participated in the 30th Congress of the European Society for Rural Sociology (ESRS), held at Rīga Stradiņš University (RSU) in Latvia.
CoP workshop: Measuring impact in rural social innovation
How can we effectively measure the social impact of social innovations in rural areas? In our workshop in Maribor, Slovenia, we explored the challenges, best practices, and methodologies in assessing the social impact of initiatives led by the social economy sector.
Consortium meeting in Maribor, Slovenia
The SERIGO partners met in Maribor, Slovenia. The week was filled with engaging discussions and co-creation activities as we mapped out the next steps for fieldwork and action research across SERIGO’s case studies and pilot initiatives. One of the highlights was our visit to the rural municipality of Poljčane, where PRIZMA is leading a pilot project focused on enhancing the social inclusion of vulnerable groups.
Webinar on alternative economic models for service provision in rural areas
The SERIGO webinar, hosted as part of the Community of Practice (CoP), brought together policymakers, researchers and practitioners, to explore alternative economic models that promote resilience, inclusion, and sustainable service provision in rural regions.
SERIGO starts fieldwork on 24 case studies
SERIGO is undertaking an analysis of 24 case studies on social and solidarity economy (SSE) solutions implemented in diverse local contexts across 12 countries. These studies aim to shed light on the framework conditions that lead to social exclusion, as well as the drivers and the potential of social innovation in addressing the challenges faced by vulnerable groups.
SERIGO launches a Community of Practice (CoP) on Social Innovation
Social innovation has the power to empower rural communities, and the SERIGO project is at the forefront of this effort with its Community of Practice (CoP). This initiative was launched during a webinar hosted by AEIDL on November 21st, attracting 89 participants from over 15 countries worldwide.
SERIGO develops a conceptual framework for advancing inclusion in rural areas
The SERIGO project successfully developed an initial conceptual framework designed to explore how the Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE), driven by Social Innovation (SI), can foster social inclusion, enhance quality of life, and build resilience and sustainability in rural areas. Based on a comprehensive literature review, this framework sheds light on the challenges of vulnerability and social exclusion that rural communities frequently encounter.
Kick-off meeting in Vienna
From the 13th to the 15th of February 2024, 12 of the 17 project partners gathered in Vienna, Austria at the Federal Institute of Agricultural Economics, Rural and Mountain Research (BAB) offices to ignite this collaborative journey.
SERIGO starts to enhance social inclusion in rural areas
The SERIGO project kicked off to promote social innovation as a means to enhance social inclusion within rural communities. The project is coordinated by the University of Eastern Finland and brings together 17 partner organisations from 11 different EU countries.