EUSBSR Policy Area Innovation has contributed to the preparation of a major joint cross-macroregional Horizon Europe proposal (HORIZON-CL6-2022-COMMUNITIES-02), ‘SMART ERA: SMART community-led transition for Europe's Rural Areas’. The 7 million euro project led by Bruno Kessler Foundation, Italy, was kicked off in Trento, Italy in January 2024.

The project includes a strong cross-macro-regional element and cooperation between EUSBSR, EUSALP, EUSDR and EUSAIR. From EUSBSR, both PA Tourism and PA Innovation contribute to the project (PA Innovation PAC FI and PA Tourism PAC FI as project partners). The project will foster resilience in rural areas, by upgrading and co-designing, co-developing and co-validating with local communities a set of smart solutions, integrated within Smart Innovation Packages (SIPs) able to tackle pressing socio-economic and environmental challenges and promote a community-led transition pathway that will empower rural people to act for change.