Innovation

A group of farmers are working with SAC Consulting and a data company to develop distributed ledger, or blockchain, technology that will allow consumers to trace oats along the supply chain and be assured they are gluten free.

A new programme has launched to help businesses develop their online presence and make the most of the digital opportunities available.

GrowOnline is an online programme open to anyone. If you sign up you will have access to a wide range of online resources including ideas, information, tutorials and mutual support from participants.

The programme has been developed by community-based enterprise support organisation GrowBiz as part of its new Making Rural Business Digital project.

From growing lemons on Lewis to a Michelin-starred chef cooking Skye mutton, Rural Innovation Support Service (RISS) groups are pioneering a range of new routes to take local produce to market on the islands. RISS provides professional support to farmers interested in trying new things. It connects them with the right people and helps them develop a viable project.

Six projects will benefit from £438,000 of investment to drive innovation in farming and food production.

Delivered through the Knowledge Transfer and Innovation Fund, the new funding supports projects that introduce innovative approaches to enhancing competitiveness, promoting efficiency, and helping businesses shift to a low carbon climate resistant economy.

Announcing the funding while visiting Stravenhouse Farm near Carluke, one of the farms involved in the project, Rural Minister Mairi Gougeon said:

The European Network for Rural Development (ENRD) Contact Point is preparing a series of 'LEADER thematic labs'.

There will be up to four labs with 30 LEADER stakeholders in each. The thematic labs will be an opportunity for an in-depth exchange of ideas and will include keynote presentations, discussion of lessons learnt, including enabling factors and challenges, current achievements and future outlook. 

Would you like to travel overseas to research a new idea?

The Winston Churchill Memorial Trust is currently accepting applications for Churchill Fellowships.

The fellowships offer an opportunity for anyone to research new ideas overseas and make change happen in their profession or community when the return.

Would you like to see your broadband project recognised at a European level?

The European Broadband Awards are open for entries ​to big or small, rural or urban, private or public projects. Projects should be at least 65% complete. 

The five award categories are:

Green Villages

The aim of the project is to build pro-ecological attitudes towards the inhabitants of rural areas. It is directed to residents of areas covered by the LEADER programme, especially for people living in single-family houses, people with farms.

Find out more

A call for papers and posters for the third Rural Health and Care Wales conference is now open.

The ‘Rural Resilience in Health and Care, communities and individuals’ will take place on 5 and 6 November 2019 at the Royal Welsh Showground, Builth Wells, Powys.

The conference strands are: 

A proposed community and regeneration project in Banff is looking for a partner organisation to help change local people's lives.

The project aims to restore the Vinery building at Duff House, as part of Aberdeenshire Council's wider regeneration efforts. A community consultation has been carried out to identify possible uses for the Grade B listed Glass House in Airlie Gardens, which is currently in a poor state of repair.

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