Institute of Advanced Rural Studies (IHEMRU): research, training, and knowledge dissemination

• To raise awareness of our rural areas, promote and encourage research on them, disseminate this knowledge base as widely as possible to decision-makers, and use it to inform concrete proposals.
• The IHEMRU thus contributes to the enhancement of scientific research in order to promote work on rural life; to identify the most promising and innovative recent research; and to disseminate expert knowledge to audiences wishing to deepen their understanding of societal issues through the lens of rural life.

On this occasion: It welcomes prestigious guests, renowned academics, senior civil servants, political and community leaders, private sector executives and entrepreneurs, and leading figures in public debate in France and Europe to speak on the national and European aspects of the issues addressed. Debates to exchange ideas around a book are organized that offer a fresh perspective on territorial cohesion, land-use planning, local development, and the contribution of rural areas to major societal issues currently being re-examined (environment, reindustrialization, food sovereignty, etc.). These debates, with the author present, allow for the presentation of the book's main contributions and enrich the discussion on rural issues.

This allows to train senior managers in the public and private sectors, civil society leaders, elected officials and opinion leaders, as well as representatives of community organizations, to better understand the characteristics of rural areas, their potential, and how to develop them.

These training sessions are presented by leading researchers and experts and address the various dimensions—social, economic, cultural, political, and geopolitical—through the lens of rurality.

The aim is to:

• Better understand and utilize rural areas to address societal challenges;
• To understand and anticipate the changes taking place in rural areas;
• To develop an objective and shared vision of the role rural areas should play in the societies of tomorrow;
• To address these issues at the European level.

The training programs consist of ten two-day modules over one year and two study trips within France and two within Europe.

• Non-governmental / civil society organisation
• Private Business
• Public authority

• Knowledge sharing
• Rural development strategy
• Research or/& evaluation

• Creation of the institute early 2023
• 1st session in September 2023