The projects we have delivered
Over the years we have worked with municipalities, inter-municipal communities, local development associations and companies. These projects have produced tangible improvements in processes, environmentally responsible practices and positive contributions to the rural communities where we operate.
A sample of what we have done
Territorial development projects across the seven areas we work in.
Green with Soul
The “Verde com Alma” project is a pilot initiative created to structure and upgrade the agritourism and wine tourism offer across the Ave region, building on local produce, on networking between operators and on the digitalisation of the visitor experience.
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Melo – Literary Village
“Melo – Literary Village” is a cultural and tourism development project built on the literary heritage of Vergílio Ferreira.
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Study for the Walking Trail Network and Visitor Flow Management
RURIS designed the “Study for the Walking Trail Network and Visitor Flow Management” to support a more efficient and sustainable organisation of the walking offer across the region, bringing its natural, cultural and landscape assets to the fore without compromising their preservation.
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Murça White Wines Route
The “Murça White Wines Route” sets out to structure the region's tourism offer, creating the conditions for tourists and visitors to stay longer while discovering its DOC white wines and local heritage.
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Tâmega e Sousa Bio-Region – Strategic Plan
RURIS produced the Strategic Plan for the Tâmega e Sousa Bio-Region, a structuring document aimed at adding value to the territory through organic farming, environmental sustainability and closer articulation between the agri-food, tourism and community sectors.
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Pilot Plan for Mosaic Landscape Management
RURIS developed a Pilot Plan for Mosaic Landscape Management, aimed at the integrated and sustainable management of rural land, focused on articulating forestry, agriculture and other productive activities so as to build environmental resilience, prevent wildfire and add economic value to the…
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Valença agricultural development plan
The “Valença Agricultural Development Plan” forms part of the Municipality's strategy to promote local resources and potential through plans, studies and programmes that create wealth in the local economy.
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PAISACTIVO – Firebreak Landscapes: Activating Rural Areas
PAISACTIVO – Firebreak Landscapes: Activating Rural Areas for a Resilient Territory is a project whose actions set out to make rural areas more resilient to wildfire risk, improving the sustainable management of agroforestry land and protecting and revitalising rural settlements so they can…
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DOURO: Olive Oil Experiences
This project sets out to position the Douro as a sustainable, well-developed tourism destination and a driver of the local economy, building on the strategic and distinctive tourism assets — natural, cultural, historical and gastronomic heritage — that have drawn growing interest from Portuguese…
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Alto Mondego Express
The “Alto Mondego Express” project sets out to structure the region's tourism offer so that visitors attending a local cultural event have reason to extend their stay — living authentic experiences, tasting distinctive local flavours and staying overnight in the area's accommodation, and in…
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Roads with History: EN16 and EN17
The project comprises an action plan built around four main strands. Action 1 — “identification, upskilling and awareness-raising among operators” — covers structuring the product, setting up the collaborative network and building the capacity of the agents who will form part of it.
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São José Care Home Refurbishment
The intended works aim to improve the building's condition, its safety and the comfort of the residents of the care home.
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Listing Vila do Conde bobbin lace on the National Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage (INPCI)
The project seeks to have Vila do Conde bobbin lace listed on the INPCI, safeguarding the craft, raising its profile and securing its continuity.
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Adding value to and promoting Vila do Conde bobbin lace
This project sets out to add value to Vila do Conde bobbin lace and give it the visibility it deserves. To that end it covers modernising the online shop, running a digital marketing campaign, hosting artist residencies and exchange programmes, organising awareness activities for the community…
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Arcos Memory + Accessible
The project aims to digitise the cultural heritage of Arcos de Valdevez, preserving this legacy and bringing it to the fore.
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Creative Pathways
The “Creative Pathways” project promotes social inclusion and active citizenship through art and culture, with a focus on vulnerable groups.
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All Aboard
The All Aboard initiative sets out to support the full integration of immigrants living in the municipality of Guarda through joint artistic creation between immigrants and local residents.
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APlikAr
The 'APlikAr' project sets out to support the sound application, monitoring and evaluation of rural development policy measures as they apply to the kiwifruit sector, to encourage participation and joint working across the sector and, above all, to transfer good practice and new technical…
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TAGUS – Association for the Integrated Development of Inland Ribatejo
A Local Development Strategy with the renewed ambition of adding value to inland Ribatejo, giving it a distinctive identity as a territory of reference in which to live, work, visit and invest.
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Village Condominium: Tâmega e Sousa
The main aim of this Village Condominium is to create 14 village condominiums, working chiefly on landscape conversion so as to lower the risk of rural wildfire and support biodiversity and territorial resilience.
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Together for the Serra: territorial promotion campaign
This campaign covers communicating the territory and creating and delivering a collective strategy to promote and publicise it, through an integrated, multi-platform communication campaign developed consistently and in a joined-up way, so as to revitalise the region and project its future —…
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Guarda Cultural and Recreational Network
The project sets out to structure an integrated offer around a new tourism product bringing together 6 cultural and creative venues closely tied to the history of Guarda and the Serra da Estrela, to local resources, to traditional arts and crafts, and to the rural communities hit hard by the…
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inspirAÇÃO: Ourém + green
'inspirAÇÃO: Ourém + green' promotes networked working to revitalise the area affected by the 2022 wildfires, through an integrated strategy to develop the tourism value of the natural heritage of Agroal, in the joint parish of Freixianda, Ribeira do Fárrio and Formigais.
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Educational Apiary
Running the “Educational Apiary” through 12 hands-on demonstration sessions at the apiary, helping beekeepers steadily improve their practice and reinforcing the energy and appeal these initiatives bring to the southern part of the municipality of Paredes.
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Albergaria Empreende + 2023 Action Plan
Strategy for Entrepreneurship and Economic Development in Albergaria-a-Velha – Albergaria + 2030, setting out and planning the actions and investments to be carried out over the coming decade so as to make the best use of resources and respond to the challenges ahead, in a spirit of cooperation…
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Strategic Development Plan for the Agri-food and Tourism Sectors
A strategic analysis of the southern part of the municipality of Paredes — made up of the parishes of Aguiar de Sousa, Cete, Parada de Todeia, Recarei and Sobreira — together with a set of proposed actions to stimulate the local economy, particularly in the agri-food and tourism sectors,…
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Paredes Giant Vegetable Competition and Fair: The Biggest in My Village
The Paredes Giant Vegetable Competition and Fair, “The Biggest in My Village”, is a contest between growers — amateur and professional — that rewards those presenting the largest fruit and vegetables, gives visibility to local growers and produce, and stimulates local interest in sustainable…
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Vila Verde: the Nature of Simple Things
This project involved designing, co-creating and prototyping an innovative tourism experience built on the flagship tourism assets of the municipality of Vila Verde.
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Levada da Víbora Trail
With the ultimate aim of delivering a distinctive, commercially viable tourism experience in response to growing demand for nature-based tourism, this work followed a plan that brought together a prior diagnosis of the territory (including a tourism analysis; a preparatory meeting with a visit…
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Cinfães, Naturally Unique
The tourism promotion project “Cinfães, Naturally Unique – NATURE IS THE BEST MEDICINE” was developed to encourage visits to the area, offering tourists complete immersion in nature, especially over the summer.
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Interior Network
The “Interior Network” project set out to develop a networked programme of arts and culture across the territory made up of the municipalities of Belmonte, Covilhã, Fornos de Algodres, Fundão, Gouveia, Manteigas and Seia.
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Culture Between Bridges
The “Culture Between Bridges” project sets out to build a cultural network between the municipalities of Sever do Vouga, Oliveira de Frades, São Pedro do Sul and Vouzela — neighbouring territories along the River Vouga that share a vast tangible and intangible heritage which does much to bind…
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Culture in the Dão
The Culture in the Dão project brought together two strands: Culture in the Dão, and Promotion and Outreach.
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Alto Mondego Cultural Network
A project consisting of an integrated programme of cultural initiatives which, developed and scheduled as a network with the participating municipalities, draws on the strengths and talents of each member to deliver arts and cultural activities, project the territory's identity and attract…
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3 Days. 3 Experiences.
The “3 Days. 3 Experiences” project set out and delivered a strategy to promote the region and its main tourism assets by structuring the offer around nature trails, culture trails and flavour trails.
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Discovering the Serra da Estrela
“Discovering the Serra da Estrela” is a project aimed at raising the profile and external recognition of the Beiras and Serra da Estrela as a tourism destination.
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Aldeias da Mesa dos 4 Abades: Technical and Economic Beekeeping Model
The Technical and Economic Model for Beekeeping in the “Aldeias da Mesa dos 4 Abades” area set out to address the underuse of beekeeping, building it up and giving it fresh momentum in the municipality of Ponte de Lima.
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Aldeias da Mesa dos 4 Abades: Territorial Development Strategy
Following an initial diagnosis of the territory, this work set out to produce a development strategy for the Aldeias da Mesa dos 4 Abades, centred on the overriding goal of adding value to local heritage, with 4 action programmes addressing the main economic, environmental and social challenges…
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Aldeias New Generation: Smart Villages
The Aldeias New Generation project was created to make the most of the tourism, residential and productive potential of villages at risk of ageing and population loss, by setting out strategies for their revitalisation — strategies aligned with the European Union's Smart Villages concept:…
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Land Bank for Shepherds
The Land Bank for Shepherds was an instrument for sustainable rural development whose main purpose was to find landowners willing to lease out rural, agricultural or forest properties that were abandoned or economically undervalued, to tenants wanting to take up pastoral farming.
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Shepherds' School: Training Programme
The Shepherds' School was part of the Centro Region Cheese Valorisation Programme and a highly strategic action for the integrated development of both the territory and the sector.
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Cheesemakers' School: Training Programme
Part of the Centro Region Cheese Sector Development Programme and prompted by the need to tackle the sector's difficulties, this training programme set out to promote the production and marketing of PDO cheeses on four main pillars:
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Assessment for Building Capacity in the Centro Region Cheese Sector
This study grew out of a joint reflection on the future of the sector and on the areas of work that would be strategic for building its capacity.
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Vales Verdes Programme
The Vales Verdes Programme was the outcome of a diagnosis of and consultation across the territory, aimed at setting a strategy for revitalising the rural areas of Loulé in line with European and national policy agendas.
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Technical and Economic Viticulture Models in the Vinhos Verdes Region
'Technical and Economic Viticulture Models in the Vinhos Verdes Region' is a study aimed at grape growers in the Vinhos Verdes Demarcated Region and at the sector's associations and cooperatives.
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Trás-os-Montes PGI Almond
Work consisting of drawing up the product specification for the qualification of Trás-os-Montes Almond as a Protected Geographical Indication.
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Sustainable Food Systems
The main aim of this project was to structure the institutional food market so that local food products could be introduced into public school canteens, helping to reduce the ecological footprint by promoting short supply chains while at the same time encouraging healthier, more sustainable…
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Póvoa Vegetables
A study of three vegetables characteristic of the Póvoa de Varzim area: Couve Penca da Póvoa, Cebola da Póvoa and Tomate Coração de Boi.
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Viseu Rural 2030 Programme
An integrated strategic programme to add value to the rural and agri-food economy of the municipality.
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RECICLARTE Impact Assessment
This report sets out to gather views on and monitor the social impact and return (SROI) of the RECICLARTE project on the individuals, organisations and community involved.
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Structuring the Institutional Food Market: Green Canteens
An inter-municipal strategy to improve the diet of the school community by introducing more options — notably vegetarian meals and organic produce — while at the same time creating new opportunities for the regional economy.
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Impact Assessment Study of the Shepherds' School
This report sets out to gather views on and monitor the social impact and return (SROI) of the “Shepherds' School” as a means of stimulating the rural economy of the Centro Region, and its contribution to generating wealth and employment in predominantly rural territories by helping to retain…
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Miguelitos: Regional Confectionery
Qualification of “Miguelitos” as a regional confectionery of Cabeceiras de Basto.
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Couves com Feijão Amarelo: TSG
Work consisting of drawing up the product specification for Traditional Speciality Guaranteed qualification.
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Strategic and Marketing Plan for the Centro PDO Cheeses
This Strategic and Marketing Plan for the Centro PDO Cheeses provides a strategic reference point to guide and encourage concerted action by the many players involved in strengthening the competitiveness and economic value of the region's PDO cheeses, working across every level of the sector:…
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Rural Market: Marketing Plan
This project set out to grow and consolidate the Mercadinho Rural by investing in its promotion, attracting more producers (and so a wider range of products) and, in turn, a larger public.
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Strategic Plan for Beekeeping
The Strategic Plan for Beekeeping in Mondim de Basto is a document that sets out a strategic reference point for realising the territory's considerable potential in beekeeping.
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Strategic Plan for Goat Farming
The Strategic Plan for Goat Farming in Mondim de Basto is a document that sets out a strategic reference point for realising the territory's considerable potential in goat farming.
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Strategic Plan for Wild Mycology
The Strategic Plan for Wild Mycology in Mondim de Basto is a document that sets out a strategic reference point for realising the territory's considerable potential in wild mushrooms.
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50 Ideas for the Idanha-a-Nova Bio-Region
A project setting out the objectives and action plan to be implemented in order to strengthen Idanha-a-Nova's standing, nationally and internationally, as an organic territory.
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UP Cávado Global Project
In summary, the UP Cávado project aims to mobilise and stimulate entrepreneurial spirit, to upskill the business base with a focus on raising productivity, to build capacity for internationalisation and to increase the international visibility and profile of the goods and services the Cávado…
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Agri-food Strategic Plan
This document is a strategic reference point for the development of the agri-food sector in the Tâmega e Sousa sub-region.
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Strategic Development Plan for the Agri-food and Tourism Sectors
A document setting out a strategic analysis of the client's territory, with the aim of proposing actions to stimulate the local economy, particularly in the agri-food and tourism sectors, translated into a realistic development strategy tailored to the area under study.
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Active Economy in Douro Verde
(1) Fostering a culture of entrepreneurship and organisational capacity, strengthening the skills of the various actors involved in encouraging and stimulating enterprise;
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Applying Rural Development Policy in the Douro Verde Region, with Case Study
This initiative grew out of the need to assess how the measures set out in the Agriculture and Rural Development Operational Programme (AGRO) and the Rural Development Programme (ProDeR) contributed to the growth and standing of the Douro Verde Region, with a view to continuously improving…
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Strategic Plan for the Montalegre Smoked Meats Sector
The Strategic Plan for the Montalegre Smoked Meats Sector is divided into two main parts. The first carries out an exhaustive consultation and characterisation of the sector's current state in order to identify the opportunities and challenges it faces, and also develops an innovation diagnosis.
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Marketing and Communication Plan
The Marketing and Communication Plan is intended as a reference point for planning and developing the sector, with the overriding aim of making the most of the strong tourism vocation already present in the territory.
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Best Practice Handbook for Entrepreneurs
The “Best Practice Handbook for Entrepreneurs” is a technical support tool aimed at established business owners and prospective entrepreneurs, produced as part of the “Active Economy in Douro Verde” project.
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Best Practice Inventory and Benchmarking Study
This study was produced as part of the “Active Economy in Douro Verde” project and sets out to foster a culture of entrepreneurship and organisational capacity, strengthening the skills of the various actors involved in stimulating enterprise, encouraging the creation of new businesses, helping…
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Agri-food Strategic Plan
The project's overall aim was to drive a set of actions promoting and encouraging cooperation between public and private actors with an interest in producing Vinho Verde, kiwifruit, certified meat, blueberries, shiitake mushrooms, cherries and organically grown vegetables — anchor products for…
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Verde Sentido Food and Wine Route
The project involved delivering an action plan whose main aims were to protect and add value to PDO and PGI agri-food products, and to the cultural and natural heritage tied to Vinho Verde production, by creating a food and wine route and building the capacity of restaurants, accommodation…
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Historic Gardens Route
To offer a distinctive and appealing tourism product in the “Historic Gardens of Portugal Route”, it is essential to guarantee the quality of the experiences and of the visiting conditions, so that the gardens' well-regarded natural, cultural, landscape and historical resources are not only…
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Programme to Add Value to the Centro Region PDO Cheese Sector
The Programme to Add Value to the Centro Region PDO Cheese Sector was an integrated sector strategy aimed at building the economic value of an important local resource, working on improved conditions for milk and cheese production, on building the capacity of those involved, on renewing and…
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I-Danha: Social Innovation Incubator
“I-Danha – Social Innovation Incubator” is a project supported by the Partnerships for Impact Programme – Portugal Inovação Social, which sets out to help build an ecosystem of social entrepreneurship that encourages ideas to emerge and social innovation projects to take shape in the Beira Baixa…
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New School of the Rural World
The “New School of the Rural World” initiative works at pre-school level — from 4 months to 5 years — to guarantee universal access for all children to distinctive, high-quality educational experiences in their earliest years, experiences that make a strong contribution to their overall…
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Upgrading Social Infrastructure
This project covers investment in upgrading, refurbishing and adapting social infrastructure and facilities in the fields of disability, older people and childhood — specifically a Day Centre, a residential care home for older people, a home care service for older people and a nursery — so as to…
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Tourism Route: Boardwalk
The main aim of this project is to add value to the territory's distinctive natural and cultural heritage, supporting the development of nature-based tourism activities such as cycling and walking in order to attract visitors.
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Upgrading the River Beach
The aim of this project is to add value to a bathing area, making it more appealing from a tourism point of view as a key link in an integrated strategy to create more and better conditions for tourists to stay longer in the territory.
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Rural Market
This project set out to grow and consolidate the “Mercadinho Rural”, run over the previous 3 years, by investing in its promotion, attracting more producers (and so a wider range of products) and, in turn, a larger public.
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SI2E Villa Plaza
This project set out to create a restaurant trading as “Villa Plaza”, based in the Norte region. The young entrepreneurs behind it bring training and professional experience in areas central to the business, which aims to stand out through the innovation of its menus, its space, its service and…
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Upskilling Agri-food SMEs: DES-AGRO-4.0
The project set out to equip agri-food and agro-industrial SMEs in the Norte and Centro regions to adopt business models based on the Internet of Things (IoT), by generating, systematising and disseminating knowledge.
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Montalegre Smoked Meats
The project “Montalegre Smoked Meats – Cooperating to compete and develop” sets out to improve the competitiveness of the smoked meats sector by building producers' capacity, improving how they are organised, attracting new investors and investing heavily in promoting the product alongside the…
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Gastronomic Trail
The project set out to create a Gastronomic Trail and to certify restaurants so as to encourage them to work the municipality's own products — smoked meats, potatoes and cabbage — into their dishes and menus.
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Active Economy in Douro Verde
Active Economy in Douro Verde emerged from the need to give proactive support to people who live and work — or want to live and work — in the Douro Verde territory (an area of low population density), with the aim of creating conditions favourable to new businesses in traditional sectors such as…
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Agro IOT Centre
The Agro IoT Centre acted as a driver of the IoT ecosystem in Portugal, through a structure supporting and promoting technology-based entrepreneurship — particularly the kind that explores opportunities tied to technological innovation in rural activities.
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Bio-Region Market
This project to create a local market arises from the need for a public space that stimulates the local economy, for the use of local crop, livestock and agri-food producers and of artisans, where they can sell their products directly.
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Rehabilitation of the Crestelo Irrigation System
The project “Rehabilitation of the infrastructure of the Crestelo Traditional Irrigation System”, presented through a public-private partnership, covers the rehabilitation of the existing infrastructure — the water galleries, the tank, the main channel and the secondary stretches of the Crestelo…
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Rehabilitation of the Poça do Monte Irrigation System
The project “Rehabilitation of the Poças do Monte Traditional Irrigation System” covers the upgrading of the entire channel, main and secondary, of the Poças do Monte Traditional Irrigation System.
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Operational Group for the Economic Valorisation and Marketing of Cherries
The cherry sub-sector has real export potential, since international markets offer a ready consumer for the fruit. However, given the particular care its handling demands, exporting requires good-quality cherries, scale in production, modern post-harvest techniques and efficient organisation of…
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Operational Group for the Valorisation of Cherry Production
This project focused on the cherry sub-sector, and in particular on innovation in the production process, since its aim is to improve and upgrade production processes in the sub-sector by encouraging growers to adopt new methods and technologies.
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Land Exchange and Rural Incubator
The Land Exchange and Rural Incubator project was an integrated strategy to promote rural entrepreneurship, making the most of the municipality's considerable potential for activity in crop production, agro-industry, related services and applied technology.
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Beira Baixa Cultural
The overall aim of the “Beira Baixa Cultural” project was to develop an integrated tourism promotion strategy positioning the Beira Baixa as a destination of excellence and authenticity for the historic and cultural tourism segment, nationally and internationally, supported by the rich tangible…
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5 Municipalities. 5 Cultures. 5 Senses.
The project “5 Municipalities. 5 Cultures. 5 Senses.” set out to develop a joint cultural programme across five municipalities in the Centro Region that stand out culturally for their distinctive, benchmark work in promoting their territories.
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Culture in Network of the Beiras and Serra da Estrela
The overall aim of the “Culture in Network of the Beiras and Serra da Estrela” project is to set up, launch and consolidate a sub-regional territorial and institutional network dedicated to projecting and publicising the territory and its identity, firmly grounded in promoting culture and…
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Development Plan for the Baixo Tâmega Agri-food Sector
In short, the Development Plan for the Baixo Tâmega Agri-food Sector is a forward-looking assessment of the conditions for developing and growing the agri-food sector in the Baixo Tâmega sub-region: the municipalities of Amarante, Baião, Celorico de Basto and Marco de Canaveses.
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Kiwis of Portugal
The project developed an integrated strategy to support SMEs in the Portuguese kiwifruit sub-sector in promoting and building the international standing of “Kiwis de Portugal”, so as to win new markets, increase export volumes and raise the international visibility of Portuguese-grown kiwifruit.
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Promotion and Valorisation of Mountain Olive Oils
The project sets out to demonstrate and transfer scientific and technological knowledge from the research and innovation system to the businesses of the “Mountain Olive Oils” sector.
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INOVCAST: Innovation and Business Hosting Space
INOVCAST is a strategy for attracting investment, specialised in and focused on the agri-food sector, particularly chestnuts and nuts.
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An Idea of Nature
The project “An Idea of Nature” sets out to promote and add value to a region's brand as an idea of nature, cultivating an image of a nature destination par excellence by tailoring the tourism offer to that segment — building loyalty and developing the attractions that increase visitor numbers…
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Coopera
The Coopera project comprises a set of actions aimed at equipping SMEs in the agri-food, restaurant, accommodation and tourism sectors — and in the granite extraction industry in particular — to invest in innovation and differentiation, and at raising awareness of these as critical factors of…
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Be Natural
This project sets out to raise a region's international profile through a set of initiatives to stimulate the local economy and business base, tied to a tourism promotion strategy aimed at foreign markets.
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Smoked Meats: Cooperating to Compete and Develop
This project was designed to support the players in the smoked meats sector in adopting good practice that reconciles tradition with innovation and contributes to the competitiveness and sustainability of both the sector and the territory.
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A Destination by Nature
Creating an identity of its own allows a region and its natural assets to become a brand, positioned strategically in the market.
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MADE IN: Internationalisation and Promotion of Enterprise
The Made In project contributed to strengthening rural economic activity — particularly the agri-food and tourism sectors — through the delivery of a strategic plan for internationalisation.
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FOOD LAB: Rural Business Park
Green Valley set out to win global recognition for a region's brand as a green “Silicon Valley”, exploring its potential for rural economic activity, generating opportunities for businesses to set up and, at the same time, creating jobs.
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Collective Actions: Promoting Enterprise
With a view to building the capacity of business initiatives and bringing new companies into being, the project combined the potential of the area's own resources with the entrepreneurial aptitude of its people, providing technical support (business plan preparation, mentoring and coaching,…
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