COM³ partners at the University of Groningen have developed a concise training solution for local and regional authorities, and business support organisations, to help them better understand and design measures for a dynamic rural digital entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Digitally enabled and transformed SMEs make rural areas more attractive places to live, work and invest in. Local and regional authorities, therefore, need the right tools and competencies for fostering a dynamic and welcoming environment, that supports rural enterprises in their digital transformation.
COM³ partners at the University of Groningen created a new e-learning course “Designing Support Measures for a Rural Digital Entrepreneurial Ecosystem”. The module gives an orientation to identify crucial place-based factors to be considered when working on digitalisation support measures in general, and for businesses in specific. It provides inspiration for staff and developers in municipalities, regions, and business support organisations for drafting local or regional digital agendas. To do so, the e-learning course lays out important definitions and concrete examples. It provides recommendations for designing a local or regional digital agenda and offers a step-by-step guide to fostering rural digital ecosystems.
COM³ Training Solutions and Support Model
The course is freely available and can be found on the platform ruraldigital.eu. The University of Groningen and all COM³ partners are developing further training solutions for COM³ pilot regions and anyone who want to facilitate the tech-adoption of small business in rural areas. More training modules about cybersecurity, business networks, information overload, and more are available on this platform.
About the University of Groningen
The Faculty of Spatial Sciences at the University of Groningen (RUG-FSS) has a long history of working on regional development. Most notably, because of its various specialized departments, such as Economic Geography and Cultural Geography, RUG-FSS is able to assess regional development using a broad scope and come up with tailored policy recommendations. Among the partners of COM³ the University of Groningen leads the work on establishing a co-produced methodology for assessing the digital entrepreneurial ecosystem and on executing this methodology. It also develops training modules for staff and developers in local and regional authorithies and business support organisations.
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