Unlocking rural innovation and entrepreneurship in Italy: stakeholder insights from the ENGINE project

Entrepreneurship and innovation are key drivers of rural development. The Erasmus+ project ENGINE, a collaboration of four European higher education institutions, aims to develop EDUPACK, an educational tool designed to support entrepreneurship and innovation teaching to better prepare future rural leaders. As part of ENGINE, this study mapped the territory of the Province of Foggia (Italy), revealing 22 inspiring initiatives leveraging rural local resources and development potential. Stakeholders were engaged through a rural consultation meeting and an anonymous survey to validate the mapping and identify skill gaps. Most stakeholders considered the mapping accurate. Digital literacy, collaboration, networking, strategic management and long-term vision, as well as territorial branding were pointed out as priority improvement areas. Projects such as ENGINE were generally regarded as valuable by most stakeholders. Findings will guide the development of EDUPACK and may serve as a reference for studies on rural entrepreneurship and innovation.