SMART ERA 1st Open Call for Pilots Add-ons for Rural Innovation

The focus areas include transforming rural areas through advanced technology and innovative solutions, enhancing sustainable development and growth in technology, governance, business, society, and policymaking, and revitalizing rural communities by combating depopulation and creating resilient, vibrant societies. The objectives primarily revolve around deploying innovative solutions aligned with the identified regional challenges, including developing smart innovation packages, supporting the socio-economic fabric with technology-driven applications, and fostering ecological, economic, and social sustainability within the pilot regions.

Each selected technology provider will receive up to €60,000 and participate in a nine-month support program that includes mentoring and stages focused on onboarding and deploying their solutions in the pilot areas. The program is designed to ensure technological advancement from an initial TRL of 4 to at least 6 upon completion. The six pilot regions span Italy, Spain, Finland, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia, Croatia, and Bulgaria, each with unique challenges ranging from agrifood production tracing, pasture ecosystem monitoring, AI-based tourism and micro-farming management, smart economy service platforms, rural entrepreneurial support with AI tools, agro-tourism sector digital platforms, personalized tourism experience platforms, mobility on demand applications, digital health support systems for rural GPs, and map-based tourism information platforms.

Proposals must demonstrate alignment with the SMART ERA goals, including the use of robust security and data privacy measures compliant with GDPR, the adoption of open-source and OpenAPI standards where applicable, and the potential for replication across other European regions. Multilingual interfaces, user-friendly designs for local stakeholders and end-users, and sustainable post-project maintenance plans are mandatory. The evaluation process is rigorous, involving eligibility checks, scoring based on excellence, impact, and implementation, and final selection through pitching and consensus meetings.

The SMART ERA project emphasizes collaboration with local stakeholders, integration with existing data sources, and compliance with European Union policies such as the Green Deal and Europe’s Digital Decade. The selected projects are expected to contribute to regional and EU standards for social innovation, environmental impact, and economic resilience in rural areas. The total duration of the support program is approximately nine months starting from March 2026, with milestone-based payments structured to incentivize timely and high-quality deliverables.

For more information, visit SMART ERA.