ICONIC

Description

ICONIC is a pioneering project aimed at fostering the energy independence, climate neutrality, and sustainable development of rural and island communities across Europe. With a focus on islands facing unique socio-economic and environmental challenges, ICONIC leverages innovative technologies, social innovation, and community engagement to drive positive changes. The project addresses key barriers, identified with the local actors, such as limited economic opportunities, energy dependency, social isolation, and environmental degradation by implementing concrete innovations in three pilot islands: Inis Mór (Ireland), La Graciosa (Spain), and Berchidda (Italy). These innovations include renewable energy solutions, circular economy initiatives, sustainable mobility options, and digital platforms tailored tao each island's context and needs, enhancing access to services and job opportunities. ICONIC’s impact extends far beyond islands; its innovative models can be replicated in other rural and isolated regions, offering scalable solutions that tackle energy dependency, waste management, and resource efficiency. ICONIC also emphasises the importance of community engagement, stakeholder collaboration, and knowledge exchange to ensure the sustainability and scalability of its solutions in the long-term. By establishing institutionalised spaces for dialogue, policy recommendations, and peer-to-peer learning, ICONIC aims to empower rural communities, enhance local governance, and facilitate the transition towards a climate-neutral economy. Through its multi-disciplinary and multi-actor approach, ICONIC contributes to various EU strategies and initiatives, supporting the implementation of the long-term vision for the EU’s rural areas and its objectives. By harnessing the power of innovation, collaboration, and community-driven action, ICONIC strives to create a more innovative, resilient, equitable, and sustainable future for rural communities across Europe.

Project Objectives

Fostering the energy independence and climate neutrality of islands through self-generation and the promotion of energy communities.

Adapt the conditions of well-being (such as a sense of community and local employment, among others) to improve the attractiveness of these rural areas and prevent rural depopulation).

Introduce concrete innovations (technological, social and organisational) aiming at climate neutrality, rural empowerment, and biodiversity enhancement in pilots in different climatic zones in Europe for testing and future replication in other similar territories.

Create and sustain a rural and community innovation ecosystem to benefit from innovations developed and existing funding opportunities for green and digital transitions, through permanent dialogue roundtables with local administrations and rural stakeholders.

Enhance peer-to-peer learning between communities, learning from other innovative experiences of interest to islands through exchange events and to capitalise on lessons learnt by making them available to policy makers at different levels (European, national, regional and local) in the form of recommendations.