Our NEXRUR Project Has Kicked-Off to Boost Rural Resilience in Europe and China Rural areas in the EU are grappling with major challenges driven by climate change, biodiversity loss and water scarcity. Addressing these issues is at the heart of the NEXRUR project, which aims to foster sustainable development through international collaboration between the European Union (EU) and China. The project focuses on empowering farmers and rural communities to develop, select, and scale new or improved sustainable business models that enhance rural resilience. Through a combination of conceptual and practical research, the project generates new knowledge on community-led agricultural business models. It emphasises co-design and co-innovation within a network of 22 diverse community cases (15 in the EU and 7 in China) and 7 start-up cases (5 in the EU and 2 in China), all evaluated based on sustainability performance criteria. The ultimate goal is to support sustainable rural development by improving economic, social, and environmental outcomes. The project will be led by the Leibniz Institute of Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy, with the CSCP focusing on stakeholder engagement. The CSCP will establish and facilitate National Stakeholder Panels (NSPs) and the European Stakeholder Panel (ESP). These panels serve as central platforms for meaningful dialogue, knowledge co-creation, and collaboration among a diverse range of stakeholders to promote inclusive and sustainable business models in rural communities. The CSCP actively engages stakeholders in shaping research agendas, generating knowledge, and advancing community-led business and production models. By identifying critical issues and key actors at regional, national, and European levels, it ensures diverse perspectives are considered. Additionally, the CSCP analyses stakeholder interests, motivations, and challenges to better understand the adoption of sustainable practices while assessing the impact of current policies on rural business models. The project will run for four years, from 2026 to 2029. It is funded by the European Commission under the Horizon Europe programme. For further questions, please contact Ahmad ur Hafiz