SV Training - Smart Villages- Training Programme: Development of Curiculum and Delivery Methodology

Descriptions

A coalition of 20 Irish Local Development Companies, wish to retain services o design the content and high-level format of a training course targeted at rural communities on the emerging goals, methods/ approaches and example of the European Union’s Smart Village concept.The areas of particular interest to the partners are:1Biodiversity & Habitat Protection 2Community multi-service hubs in rural areas: including retail, etc.3The Circular Economy / Tourism & SE /Links between Town/ Village and hinterland 4Networking & Communication tools for Community Groups & Local Businesses5Renewable Energy & Emission Reduction The content should focus on•The emergence of the SV concept and the motivation.•The influence the SV concept already has and is likely to develop over EU policy.•An examination of the impact of ‘smartness’ and innovation in the rural context, including the EU’s ‘Green Deal’ and Broadband strategy & policy, and potential for rural areas.•The value of information sharing between stakeholders in a village- and between villages in building ‘smartness’.•The value and opportunities of networking and cooperation in project development, including (but not limited to) the potential of new ICT tools as enablers.•An analysis of the available and most appropriate programme supports to develop ‘smartness’ in a village/ community: e.g. LEADER, InterReg, etc.•Exposition of examples/ case studies of smart village projects in both Ireland and elsewhere in the EU; including an analysis of the key factors and ‘critical path’ to facilitate the project.•A workshop to support the development of participant projects that meet the SV concept definition.•Assessor tool to investigate the particular challenges and opportunities of each local development company area, to determine a baseline for their SV project.•Development of an assessor tool to gauge the ‘smartness’ of a project in Smart Village terms relevant to the baseline for the area.