Europe has 4.3 million square kilometers of land, with 90% being rural and 60% of its 483 million people living in rural areas. The document discusses trends around population aging and disability rates in Europe. It also lists questions for discussion around concepts like quality of life, innovation, where researchers and infrastructure should be located, and drivers of policies and the economy.

1. “Europe counts with 4,3 Million Km2 where 90% is Rural,
483 Million people where 60% lives in rural areas ” EUROSTAT 2002
“ 2009 is the first year where world population living in urban areas
is higher than people living in rural areas”
The Ageing of Europe, also known as the greying of Europe, is a
social phenomenon in Europe characterized by a decrease in
fertility, a decrease in mortality rate, and a higher life expectancy
among native Europeans.
More than 10% of EU population has a disability.
Meeting / Rome / 25-26/1/2011 /

2. ¿What does “Quality of life” mean for you?
¿What does “Innovation” mean for you?
¿Where should researchers live?
¿Where should research infrastructures be?
¿Who or what drives EU economy?
¿Who or what drives ICT research policies?, ¿Big EU industries?
¿Who or what drives the CAP?, ¿Regions, Agro Industry, Citizens,
Policy makers?...
Meeting / Rome / 25-26/1/2011 /

3. LAGs
Defini+on
• Local
Ac+on
Groups
(LAGs)
are
the
mainstay
of
the
implementa+on
of
the
Leader
approach.
• Their
responsibili+es
include:
• The
development
of
local
strategies,
• The
support
stakeholder
networking
and
• The
appraisal
and
approval
of
individual
Leader
projects.
Meeting / Rome / 25-26/1/2011 /

4. Living
Labs
AEributes
• Research
and
innova.on
infrastructure
• Considering
the
five
pillars
of
innova.on
processes
• Driven
by
end-­‐users
restric.ons,
needs
and
strategic
objec.ves
• End-­‐users
are
ac.vely
implied
in
all
the
stages
of
the
innova.on
chain,
including
the
co-­‐crea.on
of
new
products
and
services
• Sustainable
beyond
the
funding
of
a
specific
R&D
project
Meeting / Rome / 25-26/1/2011 /

5. LAGs
conversion
to
LLs
-­‐
Strenghts
• Strenghts
• Partnership
and
cons+tuency
including
local
SMEs
and
public
administra+ons.
• Governance
model
already
in
place
is
appropriate
to
manage
Living
Lab
ac+vi+es.
• Strategic
plans
on
rural
innova+on
already
in
place
• Skilled
people
to
manage
innova+on
ini+a+ves
at
local
and
regional
level.
• Innova+on
project
porLolios
already
in
place
very
well
aligned
with
actual
popula+on
needs
on
ICT
research
innova+on
(but
not
restricted
to
this
area).
• Availability
of
monitoring
and
evalua+on
approaches
based
on
indicators
valid
at
ini+a+ve
and/or
local
level.
Meeting / Rome / 25-26/1/2011 /

6. LAGs
conversion
to
LLs
-­‐
Weaknesses
• Weaknesses
• Lack
of
availability
of
communica+on
and
ICT
innova+on
infrastructures
to
support
technological
research
and
innova+on
ini+a+ves.
• Lack
of
availability
of
local
ICT
companies
and
research
organiza+ons
to
support
the
Living
Lab
ac+vity.
• Lack
of
well-­‐documented
methodological
support
on
Living
Lab
prac+ces
available
to
them.
• It
is
necessary
to
put
the
accent
on
open
co-­‐crea+on
ac+vi+es.
• Difficul+es
to
involve
con+nuously
people
(large
group
of
users)
in
all
the
ac+vi+es
of
the
innova+on
value
chain
-­‐
Elders
are
the
most
spread
segment
of
popula+on
Meeting / Rome / 25-26/1/2011 /

7. LAGs
conversion
to
LLs
-­‐
Opportuni+es
• Opportuni2es
• LAGs
representa+ves
and
local
popula+on
with
a
high
knowledge
on
the
problems
to
solve
and
the
possible
solu+ons
willing
to
collaborate
• The
people
led
open
innova+on
ecosystems
approach
(SSRIs
or
Living
Labs)
is
becoming
an
accepted
concept
with
poli+cal
support
• Strong
need
to
create
new
type
of
businesses
or
change
the
tradi+onal
ones
in
rural
areas
• The
smart
regions
ini+a+ve
Meeting / Rome / 25-26/1/2011 /

8. LAGs
conversion
to
LLs
–
Threats
• Threats
• LAGs
managers
perceive
that
barriers
to
implement
successful
Living
Labs
are
very
dificult
to
pass
• Lack
of
interests
of
commercial
interests
to
exploit
the
technological
infrastructures
• Lack
of
public
funding,
i.e.
LEADER
policy
is
finishing.
Is
there
anything
in
the
future?
• Difficul+es
to
obtain
private
funding
to
support
the
Living
Lab
projects
• Lack
of
business
models
to
support
the
use
of
the
new
solu+ons
and
services
Meeting / Rome / 25-26/1/2011 /

9. Thanks for your attention
Mariano Navarro de la Cruz
Head of IT / R&D Unit, Tragsa Group
Tlf.: +34 91 322 65 21, mnc@tragsa.es
Meeting / Rome / 25-26/1/2011 /