Innovation and Resource Efficiency as Driving Forces for Sustainable Growth
Rural areas throughout Europe are experiencing increasing levels of economic stagnation due to their inability to compete in the global marketplace. Unemployment is on the rise, and rural populations are migrating in large numbers towards urban centres. INNOREF, funded by INTERREG IIIC East, is a three-and-ahalf year project that was born out of the necessity to redirect rural economies—away from agriculture and heavy industry and towards knowledge based businesses. INNOREF (Innovation and Resource Efficiency as Driving Forces for Sustainable Growth) uses UNESCO methodology to create regional, cross-sectoral networks that encourage the use of local resources in sustainable development. With this methodology, the operation further aims at developing new models of local and regional governance by enhancing participatory processes.