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PARI – Paths for Rural Innovation, is a two-year European project exploring how rural territories can build their own Clusters for Social and Ecological Innovation (CSEIs): place-rooted networks of public actors, social economy entities, cooperatives, enterprises and other stakeholders that work together to improve quality of life, strengthen local economies, and protect natural environments.
Running from September 2024 to August 2026, PARI is active in three partner territories: Torres Vedras (Portugal), Navarra (Spain), and Östergötland (Sweden).
What is a CSEI?
A Cluster for Social and Ecological Innovation (CSEI) is a local network of actors – social enterprises, cooperatives, public bodies, cultural organisations, farmers, entrepreneurs – that pool resources and knowledge to address the social and environmental challenges of their territory. Unlike conventional industrial clusters, CSEIs are not driven by competition or profit maximisation. They are grounded in the principles of the social and solidarity economy: cooperation, democratic governance, and the reinvestment of value in the community.
In practice, a CSEI might be a network of organic farmers, local food processors, and schools working together to build a sustainable regional food system. Or a group of social enterprises, a municipality, and a cultural association transforming a former industrial site into a hub for innovation and community life. What defines a CSEI is not its legal form, but its deliberate integration of social and ecological purpose into everything it does.
Not much literature exists on these experiences.
The main reference is still the report of the GECES Sub- Group (published in 2021): Clusters of Social and Ecological Innovation in the European Union, perspectives and experiences. The role of clusters and similar forms of business cooperation in fostering the development of social economy.
Also in this respect, with PARI we intend to contribute to the advancement of research on this matter, collecting meaningful practices and refining the underlying theoretical framework.
What PARI does
PARI works with three rural territories to understand what enabling conditions allow CSEIs to emerge and thrive, and to build practical pathways for their development. Working with local and regional partners, the project is:
- Mapping existing CSEI experiences and analysing the conditions that shape them.
- Supporting local actors in developing governance models and collaboration frameworks.
- Facilitating transnational peer-learning through study visits and workshops.
- Producing tools, methodologies, and policy recommendations transferable across EU rural contexts.
In a nutshell, the project’s timeline ⬇️
Where We Are…
The project is now in its second year. Since September 2024, PARI has carried out:
January 2025 – Capacity Building Workshop, Belgium. The full consortium convened for an in-depth workshop and a study visit to the Ceinture Alimentaire of Charleroi-Métropole — a regional food-belt initiative connecting urban and rural actors through a short supply chain model. The visit anchored the project’s collective understanding of what CSEIs look like in practice. Read more in Newsletter #1.
March 2025 – Transnational Mission to Torres Vedras, Portugal. Project partners explored a rich ecosystem of innovation in the municipality of Torres Vedras, from the Encosta urban regeneration programme and the Oeste Respira social innovation incubator, to the Smart Farm Colab, the Adega Cooperativa da Carvoeira, and a school food sustainability programme connecting students directly with local producers. Read more in Newsletter #2.
September 2025 – Transnational Mission to Östergötland, Sweden. The third study visit brought partners to Söderköping and Linköping, where they explored Sweden’s distinctive culture of cooperative trust, from Coompanion’s cooperative entrepreneurship model and the Söderköping local currency, to the FIX textile cluster, the Hållbar & Kök sustainability restaurant, and Region Östergötland’s integration of social innovation into regional development strategy. Read more in Newsletter #3.
October 2025 – Transnational Mission to Navarra, Spain. The fourth study visit brought partners to Pamplona and its surrounding areas. Indeed, Navarra is a polycentric region combining industrial strength, rural community life, and a social economy representing 10% of employment, all aligned under the Navarra Sustainable Strategy 2030. Read more in the forthcoming Newsletter #4.
From November 2025 to June 2026 – Local participatory processes. These are aimed at collaboratively developing and consolidating local plans for the setup and/or consolidation of CSEIs in the three project territories. This phase emphasises engaging diverse local stakeholders through inclusive methodologies to co-create actionable, context-sensitive strategies. The objective is to harness local knowledge and collective capacities to establish robust, sustainable CSEI frameworks that respond to the unique social, environmental and economic dimensions of each territory.
Who are we? The PARI Consortium
The PARI Consortium is made of seven partners – local and regional public authorities and Social economy entities – each bringing unique expertise to ensure the effective development and implementation of CSEIs in rural areas.
🇪🇺 REVES (Belgium/EU) – Project Coordinator
🇪🇺 DIESIS Network (Belgium/EU)
🇵🇹 Torres Vedras Municipality (Portugal)
🇸🇪 Region Östergötland (Sweden)
🇪🇸 Government of Navarre (Spain)
🇪🇸 ANEL (Spain)
🇸🇪 Coompanion Östergötland (Sweden)
Resources & News
The PARI Newsletters
Focus: The mission to Östergötland, Sweden. Sustainable food systems, cooperative entrepreneurship, trust and informl ties are what makes the Swedish cases unique.
You can download the WINTER 2025-26 issue from [THIS LINK]
Focus: The mission to Torres Vedras, Portugal. Urban regeneration, sustainable food systems, social innovation incubation, and cooperative winemaking.
You can download the SUMMER 2025 issue from [THIS LINK]
Focus: Project launch, objectives, and the first capacity building workshop in Belgium.
You can download the SPRING 2025 issue from [THIS LINK]
The PARI infocard
The PARI infocard presents the project’s key features and planned outputs.
Please, download it from [THIS LINK]
