Project Name

STARTUP VILLAGE AS AN IMPULSE FOR MOUNTAIN AREAS – START IN MOUNTAINS (SIM)

 

Funding

European Union through Interreg Europe

Project Phase

2025 – 2029

 

Project Objectives:

Mountain and rural areas (MRAs) make up nearly 30% of the EU’s land and are home to around 118 million people. However, these regions are experiencing steady population decline, losing about 0.1% annually between 2015 and 2020. This trend brings serious challenges: fewer public services, limited job opportunities, lower incomes, and poor access to transport and digital connectivity. Public authorities now face the urgent task of reversing this decline and making MRAs attractive places to live and work.

Innovation offers a valuable path forward. One promising concept is the Startup Villages model, which encourages small communities or networks of villages to embrace innovation and entrepreneurship. These villages aim to create supportive environments for startups, building dynamic and sustainable innovation ecosystems.

The Start in Mountains (SIM) project is designed to foster such ecosystems in MRAs. Its goal is to support place-based innovation by enhancing local and regional policies that nurture entrepreneurship. SIM brings together seven partners from seven different European regions, with Euromontana as an advisory partner. The consortium represents both more and less developed areas, ensuring inclusive and balanced collaboration.

SIM promotes change through interregional cooperation and knowledge exchange, including thematic workshops and peer reviews, territorial mapping and a joint qualitative survey, regional reports and interregional analysis and engagement with local stakeholders.By sharing experiences, best practices, and insights, SIM aims to improve policy instruments. The ultimate objective is to help MRAs become vibrant, innovative, and sustainable communities.

 

Project partnership:

Led by the Province of Teruel (Spain) and supported by advisory partner Euromontana (European association of mountain areas), Start in Mountains brings together a diverse partnership of 8 organizations from across Europe.

These project partners will work with their stakeholders to co-develop more inclusive and effective policies that support entrepreneurship in MRAs—helping reverse rural decline and spark economic renewal.

Balkan Foundation for Sustainable Development – BFSD is one of the 8 partners involved in the project, reaffirming our strong commitment to rural innovation.

Other partners include:

• Province of Teruel (Spain, Lead Partner)
• Malopolska Region (Poland)
• Grand Est Regional Council (France)
• Development Agency of Harghita County (Romania)
• Institute for Development and Innovation (Serbia)
• Intermunicipal Community of Beiras and Serra da Estrela (Portugal)
• Euromontana (France, Advisory Partner)

 

The Government of Aragon (Spain) is also engaged as an associated policy authority.