Sustainable Hub to Engage into Rural Policies with Actors (SHERPA)

The Sustainable Hub to Engage into Rural Policies with Actors (SHERPA project) is a four-year project funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme and is coordinated by ECORYS Brussels. The project aims at engaging citizens, stakeholders, scientists, and decision-makers in formulating recommendations with the ambition to redefine European development policies and research agenda for rural areas. The interaction between research, policy and citizens will take place in up to 40 Multi-Actor Platforms (MAPs) placed in 20 Member States and in a MAP at EU level. The SHERPA rural citizens-science-policy hub will contribute to policy development in three areas: - providing inputs for the design of future research policies, with a focus on preparation of work programmes under Horizon Europe; - supporting the implementation of policies relevant to rural areas in the 2021-2027 programming period; - helping set the direction of rural policy in the next programming period (after 2027). SHERPA’s implementation approach will follow four guiding principles: flexible programming of activities to enable timely and responsive contributions to policy making, impartiality and transparency; recognition of the diversity of EU rural territories and multi-level interactions; and co-construction. At its core, SHERPA is designed to ensure the effective use of knowledge gained from previous investment in research, and empower key actors in the development of public policy in rural areas. The project will set a new standard for shaping a common vision for the future of rural areas and public participation through scoping and stock-taking of past research results, development and assessment of solutions for addressing challenges and opportunities for the next two decades.