Creating resilient rural communities in BSR based on the opportunities of digital bio businesses

eRural resilience

Beyond the Project: eRural Partners Keep Knowledge HUBs Active to Support Rural Businesses

29 October 2026

The eRural Resilience project is coming to an end, but the cooperation between partners will continue. All fourteen project partners from across the Baltic Sea Region have agreed to work together for at least three more years, supporting rural businesses become more digital, innovative and sustainable.

During the eRural Resilience project, partners developed a network of Knowledge HUBs to support small and medium-sized businesses, especially those working in the bioeconomy. The project brought together business support organisations, universities and experts from different countries to share knowledge and help rural companies find new opportunities for growth.

To ensure that this cooperation does not stop when the project ends, the partners have signed a Long-Term Cooperation Agreement. The agreement confirms their commitment to keeping the Knowledge HUB network (link: Network contacts) active for at least three years after the project’s final payment.

What does this mean for local businesses?

The Knowledge HUBs will continue to connect businesses and business support organisations with experts in different fields, including digitalisation, digital marketing, artificial intelligence, bioeconomy, sustainability and business development. Through this international network, local companies will have opportunities to receive expert advice, find useful tools and training materials, exchange experience and build new business contacts.

The partners will also continue sharing knowledge, organising learning and networking activities, and exploring opportunities for new joint projects.

An important part of this cooperation is that businesses will not have to search for international expertise on their own. Their local business support organisation can help connect them with suitable specialists from the HUB network. Depending on the type of support and available resources, services may be free of charge or fee-based.

From knowledge to real business opportunities

The value of the Knowledge HUBs can best be seen through the experiences of companies that have already received support during the project.

Maatalouspalvelu T. Haavisto, a Finnish company selling grain and grass seeds to farmers, sought support from the eRural Resilience Digitalization HUB to identify digital solutions for improving sales and inventory management and ensuring seed batch traceability. Through the HUB, a digitalization expert from Järvi-Pohjanmaan Yrityspalvelu (JPYP) mapped suitable Finnish and international software solutions and provided practical recommendations for evaluating the alternatives and taking the next steps towards digitalisation.

This example shows how access to the right knowledge and international expertise can help small businesses take the next step in their development.

Growing together beyond the project

The long-term cooperation agreement is an important step towards making the project’s results useful beyond its official lifetime. Partners will continue exchanging experience, sharing tools and good practices, and working together to support rural entrepreneurs.

The eRural Resilience network shows that international cooperation does not have to end when project funding finishes. By staying connected, organisations can continue creating opportunities for local businesses and contribute to stronger, more sustainable rural communities.

The project may be ending, but the network, knowledge and opportunities will remain.

You can find the profiles of participating organisations and their areas of expertise here: t he eRural Resilience Knowledge Hub network contacts.

Watch the recording of our HUBs seminar, “From Tools to Practice: Practical Solutions for Business Support Organisations,” and discover more about the eRural Knowledge HUB network and the support it offers: Watch the seminar on YouTube.

We warmly invite you to contact the organisation closest to you to learn more about the Knowledge HUB network and explore the support opportunities available for your business.

Learn more about the project: https://interreg-baltic.eu/project/erural-resilience/

Explore the eRural learning platform: https://erural.eu/