Mikael Akimowicz (p), Geoffroy Labrouche, Guy-Michel Ndayikeje

Vilmos Oszter

Current environmental challenges call for the replacement of fossil resources with bioresources. Bioclusters – innovation ecosystems centered on bioresource use – provide solutions to achieve both environmental and economic objectives by balancing ecosystem preservation with the economic exploitation of bioresources. The literature on the role of bioclusters in transitions emphasizes the need for specific frameworks that account for their unique characteristics. In this context, the aim of this paper is to present an original conceptual framework for analyzing the emergence, development, and viability of rural circular bioclusters by integrating rural development literature with discussions from circular economy and economic geography. The framework outlines three steps to study bioclusters: identifying the resources that form the biocluster (emergence), examining the activation process of these resources and the network of players (development), and detailing governance for resource allocation that balances commodification with heritage-based preservation (viability).

Vilmos Oszter (p)

Eleni Zarimi

Border areas frequently encounter constrained public transport services, even within their own country or region. In instances where cross-border considerations are present, services are often found to be uncoordinated or even non-existent across border sections, even within the context of an EU member state or Schengen area. Mobility and transport-related policies are often confined to addressing domestic transport issues, overlooking the necessity of providing cross-border services. In an effort to address this deficit, seven project partners from six EU member states have collaborated to enhance their policy instruments, which are transport or mobility plans at the regional and national levels. These partners originate from diverse regions within the EU, encompassing both more and less urbanised, as well as developed and less developed areas, including both new and old EU member states. The identified policy gaps in the policy instruments are attributed to the following factors: the inefficiencies of public transport, and its complete absence in certain areas. A well-developed cross-border public transport system contributes to increased accessibility of mobility services to all social groups in an environmentally sustainable way. The detailed policy instrument analyses identified challenges, and proven good practice policy recommendations have been designed to resolve them. The analysis and interventions encompass technical, legal and environmental dimensions, all of which impact border permeability and thus quality of life and regional development potential.

Eleni Zarimi (p), George Liagouras , Anastasia Constantelou, Evangelos Vassiliou

Fernando Miguel García Martín

Graduates’ brain drain is a more general phenomenon, but it is very acute and dangerous in laggard areas. In EU, Less Developed Regions (LDRs) are facing important techno-economic and geographic weaknesses which prevent them from retaining people who graduate from local Universities. Hence, mitigating the severe brain drain of local Universities’ graduates is a critical factor for upgrading human capital and promoting development in LDRs. Still, considering the low demand for well-educated personnel by local firms, focusing on graduates’ entrepreneurship in the region of their studies becomes the most important alternative.

Our research focuses on two peripheral areas - North Aegean and South Aegean – in which the usual problems faced by LDRs are coupled with their insular particularities. Furthermore, the numerus clausus system for entering Greek universities makes that 90-95% of enrolled students in the University of the Aegean (UoA) are coming from regions outside the Aegean Archipelago. Then, the main research question is: “Which are the factors that positively impact on the UoA graduates’ decision to stay and become entrepreneurs in the island of their studies?”. The data come from a questionnaire answered by 250 graduates who are entrepreneurs outside the Aegean Archipelago. We mainly use SEM (Structural Equation Modeling) to test the main factors impacting on the graduates’ “decision to stay”: perceptions about the quality of life (QoL) and business (QoB) environment, willingness to live in less populated areas (less than 50.000 inhabitants), social integration within university and in the island of studies, etc.

The findings underscore three major points. Firstly, there is no trade-off between QoL and QoB, as graduates tend to evaluate their university location similarly. This contradicts prior studies (e.g. Grimes et al. 2023) indicating that graduates choose to live in areas with higher QoB rather than QoL. An explanation is that the challenges in Aegean islands are more or less the same (e.g. distance from capitals, remoteness, high transport expenditures) for both QoL and QoB. Secondly, social integration both in UoA and local society affects positively their decision to stay, indicating that without cultivating the sense of belonging, incentive policies may prove inefficient. A third finding is that family attachment is not deterrent for settling down in the island of studies.

Rocío Pastor Lamberto, Fernando Miguel García Martín (p)

Mikael Akimowicz

This research explores negative economic and demographic dynamics in specific areas that persist even in growing regions, such as those in the Spanish Mediterranean. It focuses on the southeastern provinces (Alicante, Murcia, and Almería) and, in particular, on medium-sized cities located in inland areas with heritage-rich historic centres. These urban centres face a dual vulnerability dynamic. On the one hand, they experience territorial vulnerability, as they grow at a slower rate compared to large cities and coastal areas. On the other hand, their historic centres suffer from sub-municipal vulnerability, due to the concentration of population and economic activity in more modern urban areas. To assess these dynamics, urban centres are characterized based on their territorial location, morphology, and heritage values. Socioeconomic indicators are analysed at both the municipal and sub-municipal levels, including population, unemployment rates, economic activity, industry, construction, and services. The comparison between different types of urban centres reveals common patterns of depopulation in cities with significant heritage value. The analysis of these two scales of vulnerability allows for an evaluation of how historic centres are affected, posing challenges to their conservation and endangering their cultural value. The results identify left-behind areas at a sub-municipal scale that are embedded within broader regional dynamics. Understanding these processes is crucial for designing conservation and rehabilitation strategies for historic centres, thus contributing to their long-term sustainability.