Building on the concept of Smart Villages towards a transnational and EUSALP-integrated Smart Community in the Alps

Moving beyond the experience of ASP623 Smart Villages and with the main aim of providing and sustaining a robust link with EUSALP AG5, SmartCommUnity aims at: 1) creating a strong link with the Smart Alps network within AG5, sustaining the transnational concept of a network of smart rural areas with a common smarter and greener vision for their communities, as well as developing closer links with AG9 for a transition in energy, in order to embody change in perceptions and practice; 2) furthering the actions towards smart transition in selected Test Areas (TAs) and inspiring new territories by creating regional links between more advanced (lighthouse) TAs and less advanced (follower) TAs, facilitating capacity building, community exchanges of best practices and lessons learnt and mobilization of community energies; 3) collecting and presenting at one place existing innovative digital tools and solutions already developed within other national and EU-funded projects and initiatives, using either open data whenever possible or surveys distributed to networks, such as EUSALP AG and ENRD; 4) developing new innovative and interactive digital tools for matchmaking and networking to facilitate the access to smart transition actions for Alpine areas, with a strong focus on the community aspect of the smart transition, especially on the green and sustainable aspects of it, via eg gamification and civic tech; 5) communicating and disseminating the actions and results of the project and the Smart Alps in the Alpine Area, in order for the Alps to become the vanguard of digital transformation in Europe and an example for rural areas in the whole continent. To collect rural communities' needs and requirements and collect feedback regarding already existing as well as newly developed tools and solutions, the project activities will be implemented in 18 TAs (9 LTAs+ 9 FTAs). The advanced test areas will inspire and work with less advanced, follower test areas in the same country.