THRIVE aims to enhance the appeal of rural areas by preserving and promoting endangered intangible cultural heritage (ICH). The project will create a territorial strategy to cultivate and retain talent in rural regions through digitalization and preservation of ICH, fostering the empowerment and resilience of rural communities and bridging territorial imbalances (urban-rural divide).

Recognizing the critical role of culture in regional competitiveness and social cohesion, THRIVE offers a unique model involving expertise from five EU organizations from Italy, Croatia, Slovenia, Spain and Portugal.
Several activities are foreseen to reach this goal, which will be centered in the province of Bergamo: after a study visit to Fundao in which the associated partners will also participate, a successful case study from which partners will learn and take inspiration, a scientific- methodological research outlining the state of the art and proposing a marketing plan will form the foundation for the strategy in the pilot area.

Subsequently, different activities aimed at 15 talents are foreseen such as the participatory mapping of
intangible cultural heritage, the exchange of good practices, and three empowerment activities necessary for the development of digital and entrepreneurial skills through the valorization of this heritage.

Post-testing in Bergamo, actions for capitalization and replicability as well as to encourage the widespread adoption of this model in other rural areas are planned, including 3 sharing and capacity-building days and a digital platform as a tool for dissemination and a resource for communities and talents to access project results in a learning mode.

The project partners include: Provincia di Bergamo – project leader (Italy), Universitat de Valencia (Spain), Enter Koprivnica d.o.o. (Croatia), Municipio do Fundão (Portugal), and Arctur Računalniški Inženiring d.o.o. (Slovenia).

The Creative Europe program co-funds the project, with a total value of €267,081.38, of which €49,006.22 is allocated to Enter Koprivnica. Project duration: October 1, 2024 – September 30, 2027.