Contribute to rural development with an innovative circular business model, replicable in other European territories: this is the goal of `LIVERUR', the largest  European project lead by the Catholic University of Murcia. The project will involve Institutions from many European countries: Spain, Portugal, France, Germany, Italy, Austria, Malta, Greece, Latvia, Turkey, Czech Republic, Tunisia and Slovenia. The office of International Projects (OPRI) of the Murcian institution is responsible for coordinating this important project, co-financed by the EU, within the framework of the prestigious program H2020.

Pablo Cano, director of the OPRI, has indicated that this initiative will "develop our economy, improve employment and strengthen the businesses". For this, we will create new business models, with living laboratories for rural development, based on the circular economy. Estrella Núñez, Vice Chancellor for Research of the UCAM, has affirmed that "science must be at the service of society, to improve citizens' lives and provide them with a better future. That is the essential vocation of our University and the objective of this project. With this new H2020, the UCAM will work to improve the economy and to favor the entrepreneurship and the creation of future jobs ".

Modernization of small and medium-sized agricultural enterprises

LIVERUR pursues the modernization of small and medium agricultural enterprises, crucial actors in the structure and dynamics of the rural economy of the European Union. In this sense, the objective of the project is identify and analyze different approaches to business models, create added value, social cohesion, jobs, inclusion of stakeholders and business resilience  to face of global markets and the impacts of change climate.

Partners of the LIVERUR project

Association for the integrated rural development of the municipalities of the Vega del Segura (Spain), Wellness Telecom SL (Spain), Fundo Regional Para A Ciencia E Tecnologia (Portugal), Chambre Régionale d'Agriculture Provence Alpes Côte d'Azur (France), Chambre Regionale D'agriculture Des Pays De La Loire (France), Commissariat A L Energie Atomique Et Aux Energies Alternatives (France), CLEOPA GMBH (Germany), Sogesca s.r.l. (Italy), CESIE (Italy), E35 Fondazione per la Progettazione Internazionale (Italy), Unione dei Comuni del Trasimeno (Italy), Zentrum Fur Soziale Innovation Gmbh (Austria), Bundesanstalt Fur Agrarwirtschaft (Austria), Regionalmanagement Burgenland GmbH (Austria) , Wirelessinfo (Czech Republic), TR Associates Ltd (Malta), Institouto Anaptixis Epicheirimatikotitas Astiki Etaireia (Greece), Zemnieku saeima (Latvia), Zafer Development Agency (Turkey), Dar margoum (Tunisia), UHLAVA PAHO (Czech Republic), Univerza V Ljubljani (Slovenia).