The event, organised by CIM do Ave and the Portuguese Red Cross, will bring together local and regional stakeholders on 28 October at the Laboratório da Paisagem in Guimarães.
Guimarães (Portugal), 21 October 2025. – The European project RuralSilverHubS, funded by the Interreg Sudoe programme, will hold a territorial event on 28 October at the Laboratório da Paisagem in Guimarães, organised by the Intermunicipal Community of Ave (CIM do Ave) in collaboration with the Portuguese Red Cross – Guimarães Branch.
The meeting will bring together institutional representatives, local entities, associations, companies, and social actors to reflect on the opportunities offered by the Silver Economy — the economy linked to people over 55 years old — in the rural areas of southwestern Europe.
A Participatory Event to Strengthen the Local Silver Ecosystem
The session will be opened by the First Intermunicipal Secretary of CIM do Ave, who will welcome participants and outline the general objectives of the event. This will be followed by the presentation of the RuralSilverHubS project and Working Group 1 (WG1), led by CIM do Ave, which coordinates regional progress in developing innovative solutions for active and sustainable ageing in rural areas.
Throughout the morning, good practices identified in the Ave region will be shared, together with the initial results of the territorial mapping carried out under the project. Participants will also take part in an interactive co-creation session based on a territorial SWOT analysis adapted to the Silver Economy, identifying the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of the territory.
The event will also serve to define local priorities and challenges, in a collective exercise oriented towards the future implementation of the Rural Silver Hubs — social innovation spaces that will foster collaboration between public administrations, citizens, the business sector, and civil society organisations.
Establishment of the Local Support Group
The day will conclude with the official launch of the Local Support Group, a participatory governance body bringing together the key stakeholders involved in implementing the project in the region. This group will play a crucial role in ensuring the coordination, monitoring, and sustainability of the project’s activities at the local level.
About RuralSilverHubS
RuralSilverHubS is a European project that brings together nine partners from Spain, France, and Portugal, funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) under the Interreg Sudoe Programme 2021–2027. Its goal is to address the challenges of ageing, depopulation, and limited access to services in rural areas, promoting the Silver Economy as a driver of social innovation and sustainable development.
Among the project’s key actions are the creation of a rural observatory, the launch of a co-creation laboratory to design innovative local solutions, and the implementation of a pilot test to validate and replicate these initiatives in other rural contexts across the Sudoe area.
The beneficiary entities of the project are: Provincial Council of Tarragona, SODEBUR (Society for the Development of the Province of Burgos), University of Vigo, Finnova Foundation, Gérontopôle Nouvelle-Aquitaine, SilverOcc Clusterlab, Intermunicipal Community of the Algarve (AMAL), Intermunicipal Community of Ave (CIM do Ave), and the Portuguese Red Cross.
The total project budget amounts to approximately €1.3 million, co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through the Interreg Sudoe Programme 2021–2027.