Over the past few decades, rural areas have experienced profound socio-demographic transformations, driven by their roles in ecological, digital, and bio-economic transitions. These transformations, further accelerated by the Covid-19 pandemic, have led to significant diversification, rendering rural regions complex and unequal—similar in many ways to major cities. Thus a key problem concerns our knowledge about- and perception of these places because the tools, concepts, and above all the public policies traditionally applied are no longer suited to address the increasing diversity of contemporary rural areas. Our consortium, RURALITIC, is academically armed and well-prepared and to tackle these challenges. The first step, involves rethinking ’the rural’ and examining the intricate relationship between social groups and geographical spaces. This conceptual requalification of what rural areas are, and can be, will enable the production of new scientific concepts and tools, including new data, surveys, indicators, knowledge and typologies, enabling a new and synthesized view of the current dynamics and processes of change and aid in foresight for public authorities. Secondly these new concepts and typologies will then be deployed to analyze the drivers of attractiveness, existing public policies, and innovative initiatives within rural areas. By implementing pilot projects and creating an initiative library, we’ll tailor recommendations to diverse social and rural contexts. Finally, RURALITIC aims to envision and produce various scenarios for Europe’s rural future. The main outcome will be a reorientation of public policies, from general policies to policies tailored to different rural areas, while maintaining the main orientations of European policies, focusing on sustainable prosperity, resilience, connectivity, and infrastructure.

<< Background >>1)Context/Background of project • Our purpose is to educate the current and next generation of business leaders & entrepreneurs in Europe to conduct business consciously. • Consciously refers to conducting business in a way that is purpose-driven, ethical, human-centred, sustainable, and inclusive, where all Business Stakeholders win (not only shareholders and managers) • For the last 10 – 15 years researchers demonstrated (*) that consciously led companies not only ensure all stakeholders benefit as a result of economic progress, but conscious businesses also are economically more successful. This is reflected in EU strategies as well : https://ec.europa.eu/growth/industry/sustainability/corporate-social-responsibility_en2)Why is this project needed ? • Many of the challenges Europe faces require businesses or support from businesses to create innovative solutions. • Businesses created innovation, jobs, and wealth, and yet they equally caused (or contributed) to some of our biggest problems: climate change, inequality, public health, etc. • Conscious companies in contrast create innovative solutions for real problems, but without the collateral damage to some of their stakeholders – be it towards nature, employees, health, equality, or local communities. • It is of paramount importance to educate current and future business leaders regarding how to manage more consciously so that potential damage is eliminated or minimised, and to increase benefits to society and the planet. We aim to address this challenge.<< Objectives >>Objectives of Project • Create and teach an innovative business syllabus which includes Conscious Business Practices for bachelor-, graduate- & executive-level education. • Describe and teach innovative methodologies regarding how business students can become more conscious leaders. • Based upon the Syllabus, develop and train current business leaders in-company regarding how to practice business more consciously. • The ultimate objective, having delivered successfully upon the beforementioned 3 objectives, is to help transform how companies are led. By applying conscious business practices on behalf of all stakeholders, society, environment, employees, suppliers, employees, and shareholders, ALL stakeholders shall benefit.(* : See studies explained in the book : Firms of Endearment by Raj Sisodia)Our Conscious Business Syllabus is innovative compared to how “mainstream” business is taught today in 5 discrete ways:1)Embeds ethics and ethical dilemmas in every course we teach. Management without a solid ethical compass too often results in negative collateral damage to communities, the environment, and employees. As a consequence, we want to educate business leaders regarding how conscious businesses, through its principles, fosters ethical behaviour, inclusion, and diversity.2)Promotes the development of conscious leaders. Leaders, generally speaking, need to serve people in and around firms. Our courses stimulate reflection and development of leaders to become more system-oriented, ethical, inclusive, and consciously aware of the impact of their decisions and actions. 3)Emphasizes Stakeholder Integration. Today’s dominant management practice of shareholder primacy has resulted in huge wealth for shareholders at the expense of the other stakeholders (which include the environment, local communities, employees, suppliers, and society). Shareholder primacy is rooted in zero-sum thinking, in which someone wins and everyone else loses. We outline proven ways in our courses to manage companies in which all stakeholders gain..4)Purpose Driven. The primary objective today of most companies is to maximise profits. Conscious companies instead optimise for their higher purpose, which includes addressing real societal needs, while making profit. We teach the superiority of purpose-driven companies in our courses.5)In our 21 courses, we offer a wide range of innovative conscious business practices grounded in teaching and research conducted at our partner universities (see reference to courses in Annex).<< Implementation >>The project activities consist of 7 main blocks of activities:1.Validate requirements for innovative conscious business concepts and practices from companies and design overall syllabus.2.Prepare and plan creation of innovative business courses through collection of available empirical data, literature screening, and exchange with partner universities and business schools.3.Create innovative business courses that enhance classic business teachings (e.g., strategic management, organisation, leadership, marketing, etc.) which include more conscious ways to conduct business.4.Pilot innovative courses in multiple ways.5.Share and teach Conscious Business Syllabus in a series of 4 Multiplier Events to interested professors of European business faculties.6.Teach Conscious Business Syllabus directly to Business Leaders and Entrepreneurs with adapted in'company trainings.7.Continuously improve and expand the Conscious Business Syllabus through a growing network of conscious business professors and faculties.<< Results >>The primary Output of the project is the creation and teaching of 21 courses on Conscious Business that together will form a Conscious Business Syllabus. Each course is a fully-fledged 30-hour university course which fits into a university semester. All courses will be fully integrated into the university curricula and schedule of the partner universities so that students are eligible for credits. This practice will be carried forward into our trainings of european business faculties.The list of university courses is as followsBachelor Level•Introduction to Conscious Capitalism (MBS)•The 4 tenets of Conscious Capitalism (MBS)•Conscious Marketing and Communications (JMU Würzburg)•Integrated Reporting (IC Erasmus)•Conscious Organisations (MBS)•Conscious Leadership Principles (MBS)•Cross-Cultural management and leadership (Palacký)Graduate Level•Performance and Progress (NOVA)•Strategic Risk & Governance; An Ethical Approach (UPF-BSM)•Theory of Change (ICE)•Strategic Conscious Marketing (JMU Würzburg)•Conscious Logistics and Supply Chain Mgmt (UPF-BSM)•Sustainable Finance (NOVA)•Financial Mgmt (UPF-BSM)•Impact Investing (NOVA)•(Non)-financial Value Creation (ICE)•Conscious Organisation Transformation (MBS)•Conscious Entrepreneurship (MBS)•Impact Entrepreneurship (NOVA)•Conscious Leadership (MBS)•Value-Based Banking (UPF-BSM)Executive Education •The most relevant graduate courses will be adapted and shared for executive education during this project. In a second step, a selected number of these courses will be adapted for in-company training targeted at company leaders.Specific to the 3 target groups introduced above the outputs are• Output for professors/teachers : oAccess to 21 innovative courses on Conscious Business practices and related conceptsoTraining programs to deliver the courses, face-to-face or virtual oNetwork of conscious faculties across EuropeoBecome acquainted and connect with conscious companies presented in coursesoEnablement to conduct empirical research to substantiate innovative courses• Output for students : oComprehensive and state-of-art education on conscious business principles and related concepts and practicesoEnhance awareness of self to become a conscious leader• Output for enterprises, especially small and midcap businesses : oSubset of 21 courses adapted to in-company training on conscious business practices. The Higher Education Institutions (HEI) will benefit from this cooperation with companies because we create a direct link between the needs of company leaders and the courses taught in Universities.