Throughout Europe, regions are in transition. The traditional view of the countryside with a wide spectrum of traditional farming activities is disappearing. The traditional agriculture-based rural economy is being replaced by an economy of residential, leisure and knowledge-based activities. Furthermore, the spatial and social qualities of the countryside are increasingly seen as collective values that need to be managed as common goods. Simultaneously, we witness urban-rural competition rather than urban-rural complementarities, while both urban and rural areas could benefit from the latter. To day, we lack a clear understanding of what is actually going on, what new potential is emerging, and what chances and opportunities this will bring. Our aim is to develop the capacity of individuals, organisations and communities through applied research, practical projects, training, and personal and professional development.
TRANS will develop a model for regional partnership working, towards preparing, planning, and financing and realising regional development projects, and to maintaining their outputs and as to building on their impacts.

Against the background of a current process of regional transition, TRANS focuses on preparing a transnational innovation agenda. In 5 work packages the core themes will be worked out, on the basis of regional pilot projects:
-Regional and local management
-Housing and infrastructure
-Agriculture and water
-Tourism, recreation, leisure
-New services and entrepreneurship

TRANS will create a multi-actor learning environment and involves a wide range of participants, facilitating them in finding new economic layers, fitting and underscoring regional strengths and potentials. Such environment serves both as a physical meeting point and a knowledge centre for all stakeholders concerned and an instrument of research, knowledge creation, network building and dissemination.

General: Each partner will be responsible for a set of work packages, as mentioned here above. All activities will be co-ordinated and structured according to these work packages.

1. Joint workshops and conferences on transnational research activities and knowledge transfer;
Output: Establishment of NSR Innovation Agenda, including installation of physical workplaces in the regions involved, functioning as co-operation, training and information centres on regional innovation and development. Result: Establishment, co-ordination and maintenance of transnational partnership framework, resulting in set-up and implementation of joint approach towards identity based regional transition policies.

2. Realisation of regional pilots in combination with joint workshops on analysis of regional policy and practice, regional potentials in the fields of entrepreneurship, citizens' participation (empowerment), development chances and restrictions, in relation to all possible stakeholders, as well as to natural resources, landscape and other environmental factors
Output: Regional development plans in the participating regions dealing with new perspectives on alternative rural products, energy production and other "green and blue" services) for these areas.
Result: transnational development strategies; insight in regional dynamics in partner regions and how to take advantage of that, regional stakeholders (re-)activated and social networks (re-)vitalised;

3. Start up and carry out regional pilot projects on issues in the fields of rural-urban tension and partnership, people and landscapes, energy and climate, water cycle management and coastal defence, rural tourism etc.

4. Workshops and conferences on policy and decision making by involving community and society stakeholders, as active, engaged and responsible bodies in strategic decision-making.
Output: Establishment of new responsibility arrangements between authorities and other stakeholders; realisation of flexible and efficient communication and decision structures within and between authority levels

5. Training and education activities

6. Communication, publications and dissemination activities (workshops, conferences, publications, news letters, on line performance, media coverage etc)

Provincie of Oost Vlaanderen, Belgium:
Responsible for, activities concerning theme regional transition and its contribution to tourism, recreation and leisure

Municipality of Vara, Sweden:
Responsible for, activities concerning theme regional transition and its linkage with housing and infrastructure

The Wash Estuary Strategy Group, Lincolnshire & Norfolk, UK:
Responsible for activities concerning new services and entrepreneurship

Germany