Unlocking Rural Potential: the ENGINE approach
ENGINE publicly unveiled its initial findings at the XXI Conference of the European Rural Development Network (ERDN), held at Romanian Academy – Institute of Agricultural Economics in Bucharest, Romania, from 23 to 25 September 2025. Juliana Carina Bagetti, representing the Italian ENGINE team coordinated by Prof. Mariantonietta Fiore and including Prof. Marilena Labianca, Prof. Piermichele La Sala, and Dr. Fedele Colantuono from the Department of Economics at the University of Foggia, presented the project’s vision to an audience of researchers, academics, and rural development experts.
The conference, titled “Food systems transition for sustainable rural development,” focused on the future development of rural areas, modern rural communities, and endogenous resources. It provided a powerful platform to introduce the abstract: “Unlocking rural potential through entrepreneurial education and innovation: initial insights from the ENGINE project mapping of inspiring initiatives and stakeholder engagement in the Province of Foggia (Italy).”
ENGINE highlighted how entrepreneurial education and innovation can act as drivers for rural development. Drawing on the combined work of the ENGINE partners, the presentation focused on rural development potential for innovation and entrepreneurship, specifically reporting the early results from the rural mapping of the Province of Foggia, where twenty-two inspiring initiatives — both social and business-oriented — leveraging local resources and development potential were identified. The ultimate goal of ENGINE is EDUPACK, an educational tool designed to strengthen rural entrepreneurship and innovation.
The conference served as an important opportunity to showcase ENGINE to the European rural development community and fostered valuable connections with peers facing similar challenges, positioning ENGINE within the broader European discourse on sustainable rural development.
