DigiVillae Project

Smart Village Strategy for Small Municipalities

DigiVillae, a new cross-border project funded by the Interreg VI-A Italy–France ALCOTRA 2021–2027 Programme, aims to design, test, and validate a replicable Smart Village model aligned with the objectives of the Alpine Macro-Regional Strategy (EUSALP).
With a total budget of €1,586,411.76 and a duration of 30 months, DigiVillae supports small municipalities in the Franco-Piedmont alpine area in a pathway of innovation, digitalisation, and co-creation involving citizens, businesses and local stakeholders.

SMARCO is coordinated by the European Digital SME Alliance, with the contribution of 20 partners from 14 countries: CLUJ IT Cluster, BASSCOM, Cluster GAIA, National College of Ireland, Universidad de Alcalá, University of Thessaly, Edutus Egyetem, Hogeschool Utrecht, Hellenic Open University, Politeknika Txorierri, Cefriel, Fondazione Piemonte Innova, Österreichische Computer Gesellschaft, ENoLL, ATI Comunicación, NCSR Demokritos, Emphasys Centre, Nordic Edge, Nicosia Municipality, Forave, and the associated partner DIGITAL SME France.

DigiVillae aims to:

  • support small municipalities in defining a territorial development strategy based on innovation, sustainability and quality of life;
  • provide tools, services and processes co-designed with citizens, public administrations and enterprises;
  • foster digital transformation through innovative solutions tested directly in alpine territories;
  • strengthen the attractiveness of mountain areas by reducing the digital divide and enabling new forms of services and civic participation;
  • test and validate a scalable Smart Village model that can be replicated in other alpine and rural contexts.

As project leader, Fondazione Piemonte Innova ensures overall coordination, proper technical, administrative and financial management, and alignment with the general objectives of the ALCOTRA programme.
The Foundation also coordinates the development of the DigiVillae model and the digital platform that will support small municipalities throughout their innovation pathway, up to the pilot testing phase and the definition of the replicability model.

DigiVillae will deliver:

  • a replicable model composed of structured processes, analysis tools and a digital platform to support alpine and rural territories in defining and implementing their innovation strategies;
  • capacity-building programmes to strengthen the skills of public decision-makers, also through the sharing of best practices;
  • multifunctional physical spaces dedicated to coworking, events, training and participatory activities, designed to facilitate dialogue between communities, administrations and enterprises;
  • public–private collaborations and the activation of local networks to propose innovative solutions and test them in real contexts;
  • synergies with foundations, regional bodies and other stakeholders interested in supporting the diffusion and scalability of the approach;
  • contributions to EUSALP working groups and EU programmes through recommendations and tools for transferability.