Abstract
Rural areas across the European Union face common structural challenges, exacerbated by recent global events. The OREN (Opportunities for Rural Entrepreneurship Networks) Erasmus+ project addresses these challenges by focusing on four key areas: forestry, agrifood, tourism, and renewable energy. The primary objective is to equip rural entrepreneurs with advanced managerial and business skills through an innovative educational platform. The project methodology combines multi-stakeholder interaction, development of impact evaluation capabilities, and promotion of continuing education in strategic business management. A multi-level approach was utilized, including literature review, collection of case studies, development of simulation models, and creation of educational modules. The project resulted in a comprehensive training course and a multistakeholder platform featuring a Process Models Repository, Model Authoring Environment, Simulation Interactive Learning Environment, and Data Acquisition Component. This holistic approach, grounded into the Systems Thinking approach and System Dynamics methodology, aims to catalyze a new paradigm of sustainable rural entrepreneurship. Hence, building on this, the OREN platform addresses critical challenges in Bulgaria’s agricultural sector and offers a promising mechanism to enhance the competitiveness and sustainability of rural economies across Europe, by bridging the innovation gap and supporting emerging sectors.
Keywords: rural economy, entrepreneurship education, interactive learning environments, business models, impact evaluation, systems thinking, system dynamics