Coral · Exploring the impacts of collaborative workspaces in rural and peripheral areas in the EU

Exploring the impacts of collaborative workspaces in rural and peripheral areas in the EU

Collaborative workspaces (hereafter CWS, such as coworking spaces, fab labs, creative hubs etc.) for freelancers, self-employed, remote workers and start-ups are increasingly becoming a subject of local and regional economic development policies as they are considered important intermediaries that help deliver entrepreneurial growth and local innovation agendas. These spaces have been emerging since the early 2000’s promoting a collaborative, community-based approach to the organisation of new modes of independent work such as freelance or self-employment, mainly in the field of cultural and creative industries. Whereas the vast majority of CWS are located in metropolitan areas and urban agglomerations, we recently observed the gradual spread of CWS in less densely populated cities in rural and even peripheral regions across the EU that face particular challenges such as brain drain, low investments level, little entrepreneurship etc. These rural CWS differ in terms of scopes, functions and impacts compared to those in urban agglomerations. CORAL-ITN aims to unpack the latent dynamics and impacts of CWS in rural and peripheral areas and integrate them as development tools in local and regional policies to open new potentials for socio-economic development. The project provides specialized and tailor-made training to young researchers to better understand (and support) the development processes of CWS in rural and peripheral areas, their wider impacts at the local and regional level, as well as at the level of the individual worker and the enterprise. CORAL unpacks its overarching objectives in three Research Objectives and one Training Objective that lead to three research and one training work package: - MO1 Educate young researchers in better understanding the scope, functions, and impact of CWS in different socio-spatial contexts RO1 Research the transformative socio-economic impacts of CWS in rural and peripheral areas RO2 Investigate the effects of rural and peripheral CWS on the individual and the enterprise - MO2 Train self-reflexive specialists in complex multi-agent decision making for local socio-economic policy of CWS RO3 Formulate policy recommendations for the effective development of CWS in rural and peripheral areas TO1 Provide a focused training programme to equip young researchers with specific skills and raise their employability

Текст от CORDIS, на английски · Данни: CORDIS, © Европейски съюз