15/07/2025
The experience is now a book! Reviving Depopulating Areas through Social and Cultural Innovation.
Proud to share the results of a journey that involved 13 partners across 5 European countries — a journey made of challenges, learning, and meaningful collaboration.
👉 The KNowledgE alliance for Social Innovation in Shrinking villages (KiNESIS) project, co-funded by Erasmus+, was launched to tackle the demographic decline of rural and mountain areas in Europe. Youth migration, infrastructure decay, and the loss of local identity are just some of the urgent issues we faced.
In response, we created a network of European Living Labs — collaborative spaces where universities, students, SMEs, local authorities, and communities co-designed sustainable solutions, blending research, training, and social innovation.
Through internships, applied research, and participatory labs, KiNESIS bridged academic knowledge with real territorial needs, promoting youth entrepreneurship, social inclusion, and resilient local economies. We experimented with flexible teaching models, market-driven skills training, and long-term local strategies — all with one goal: bringing knowledge and opportunity back to marginal areas.
More than a project, KiNESIS created a knowledge ecosystem that strengthens social capital and provides a replicable model for regional regeneration policies in Europe.
🔗 Now available in the newly published volume KiNESIS experience. Thanks to all the incredible people who made this possible!
Università di Napoli L'Orientale, Erasmus Plus
Ruth Breeze, Elles Bulder 🟥, ND Kaag, Andrea Heilmann, Jacomien Kooiker, Audrone Urmanaviciene, Bettina Bock, Luigi Famiglietti, Benedetta Bovenzi, Sabrina Pisano, LUDOVICO CALO', Salvatore Stanco, Bruno Frangipani, Giuseppe De Nicola, Igor Scognamiglio, Giuseppe Lucio Gaeta, Ute Urban, Triin Kubar, Charlotte Hidding, Peter Meister-Broekema, Daniela Chavarría Devia, Raffaele Manna, Giulia Speranza, Antonio Pascucci, Benedetta Parenti, Chantal van der Sluis, Alice Steenkamp, Renate Coumou, Pilar Gerns, Ana Maria Fernandez Vallejo, Juan José Pons Izquierdo, Carmen Urpí Guèrcia, Ricardo Perez Merino, Bruno Frangipani, Paola Cascetta, Carmine Ciullo, PAOLO LOFFREDO
