About – Ruralse.eu

Voicing the rural norm

RuralSE is short for Rural Social Entrepreneurship. The aim of this web page, is to make it easier to start and develop social entrepreneurship. Especially in rural areas within the Nordic and Artic periphery, where the project MERSE, that started it all, belongs. MERSE is short for Business Models Empowering Rural Social Entrepreneurship – Voicing the rural norm. On ruralse.eu you will find useful resources like social business tools, policy recommendations, relevant research and more.

Ruralse.eu is hosted by a MERSE project partner (KBT Vocational College), who aim to develop the web page further, adding additional tools and knowledge in the years to come.

The MERSE Project

There is a growing awareness of the role community-led social enterprises play in addressing rural challenges. The services that social enterprises provide in remote rural areas improve the quality of life of local people and affect their ability to remain in rural areas. However, the lack of knowledge and understanding of the prerequisites and conditions for rural social enterprises and the need for business models adapted to the growing prevalence of for purpose-driven entrepreneurship hinders sustainable regional and local development in rural areas.

MERSE generates methods, models, tools and policies needed to better support the prerequisites and conditions for rural social entrepreneurs .On the website you will find research-based knowledge and valuable resources that have been developed through MERSE during the three years the project has been running.

The MERSE project leads to:

suggestion of policies and strategies to be implemented in regions and municipalities to increase the conditions for rural social entrepreneurship.
enhanced knowledge about the prerequisites and conditions of social enterprises in rural areas.
increased awareness of business models adapted for social enterprises in rural areas.
better understanding of the importance and effects of social activities, products and services provided by rural social entrepreneurs in the local community.
better understanding of support systems needed to facilitate social entrepreneurs’ opportunities to participate in long-term and robust development for communities and regions in the Northern Periphery.