Ineco launches the "Ineco RuralTIC" program, a tool at the service of citizens living in villages and small municipalities in Spain. It is a collaborative model that aims to contribute to the social and economic digitalisation of the society living in rural environments, breaking down the barriers that keep them away from new technologies.

Being able to guarantee communication with family members in isolated areas, or to carry out administrative procedures (banking, health, transportation, etc.) using a mobile device, becomes one of the main variables when deciding to maintain the habitual residence in rural areas.

Actions focused on the social and economic digitalisation of small municipalities and towns constitute a fundamental lever in population settlement policies in this environment, generating a gateway for the return of the inhabitants of large towns to a more sustainable model of life.

Social and economic digitalisation

Thanks to Ineco's knowledge in the field of digitalisation, where its number of professionals has increased fourteen-fold over the last decade, and where it currently has more than 700 profiles with a high level of knowledge in the application of new technologies and artificial intelligence, the program designed plans to advance along two lines of action.

The first is social digitalisation, with training and support in the use of new technologies for the inhabitants of rural areas, with a special focus on the elderly population.

And the second, economic digitalisation, providing support and advice to rural businesses, through the empowerment of their digital positioning, creating or improving their web services, implementing their presence in social networks and designing specific apps to optimise their activity.

The people in charge of collaborating in the program are professional volunteers from the company, who will be able to temporarily work from the rural municipalities where the program is developed, enjoying the many advantages of living in this environment, having at their fingertips the possibility of approaching a unique natural and cultural heritage, as well as an exclusive tourist offer. This formula will help to make 50 municipalities throughout the country visible and digitise their local economy.

In addition, another of the program's objectives is the exchange of experience and joint work to lay the foundations for a sustainable management model that improves the quality of life of citizens. This will result in a reduction of public spending, allowing the improvement of the quality of services and attracting economic activity and, thus, generating progress.

"Ineco RuralTIC" is aimed at municipalities with less than 10.000 inhabitants that meet certain initial requirements (4G, assumption of the costs of the stay of Ineco volunteers and spaces for workshops), being assessed other complementary parameters (educational and health services, existence of young entrepreneurship SMEs, tourist offer, cultural and natural heritage, number of small local entities grouped in the municipality, etc.).

Ineco will present this initiative at the conference on “Innovación frente a la despoblación (Innovation against depopulation)" organised by COTEC on June 10 and 11 in Otero de Herreros.

In line with the strategy of the Government of Spain

In addition to contributing to the achievement of SDGs 17 Partnerships, (11- Sustainable Cities and Communities and 9 - Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure) Rural ICT is based on two of the pillars that make up the Spanish Government's strategy to combat depopulation in rural areas: the master line of coordination and cooperation of all public administrations led by the Ministry of Territorial Policy. Also is based on the Plan 130 of the Ministry for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge, aligned with the Plan for Recovery, Transformation and Resilience, and its four priority axes, to ensure the incorporation of small municipalities in a green, digital, gender-sensitive and inclusive recovery.

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