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Germany

This page contains specific information about the planning and implementation of smart villages in Germany. The information aims to orient people on policy planning, key contacts and resources on smart villages. However, it neither aims to be fully comprehensive, nor necessarily reflects the official government or European Commission position.

Explore how smart villages are being implemented in Germany.

You can also visit the page of the Smart Rural 21 selected village: Sollstedt

Key CAP contact(s) :

Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL)
Key contact(s) :
Dr. Ursula Monnerjahn (Head of Division 824: Digitalisation in rural areas)
Email : Ursula.Monnerjahn@bmel.bund.de
Website : https://www.bmel.de

Support for Smart Villages under the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP)

  • The development of the CAP Strategic Plan has been led by the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) in close collaboration with other ministries, associations and stakeholders. The SWOT, needs analysis and interventions were drawn up and refined in partnership with economic, social and environmental actors, ministries and federal states. The BMEL foresees submitting the national CAP Strategic Plan to the EU Commission in January 2022. The single national-level Strategic Plan marks a change in Germany from a previous planning through individual Rural Development Programmes (RDPs) at the federal state level.
  • Activity by local-level actors, such as village councils, to promote the Smart Villages concept within CAP Pillar 2 is limited. For the moment, the concept is not explicitly being discussed within the framework of CAP Strategic Plan development.
  • With a view to the post-2020 CAP, measures from the 2014-2020 funding period that held potential with regard to supporting the Smart Villages concept can be expected to remain important for further promoting smart villages in the 2021-2027 period. These include especially Measure 7: basic services (incl. broadband), Measure 16: cooperation (incl. EIP-AGRI), and Measure 19: LEADER/CLLD. 2021-2027 intervention types potentially supporting the Smart Villages concept include for instance ‘knowledge transfer and information’ (incl. innovation) – article 72 of the CAP Strategic Plan Regulation, and ‘cooperation’ – article 71 of the CAP Strategic Plan Regulation. Moreover, digital strategies are being integrated in CAP Strategic Plans. Approaches yet need to be developed by the German federal states and at the national level – also with a view to the national Joint Task for the Improvement of Agricultural Structures and Coastal Protection (GAK). The GAK is the central German funding instrument aimed at competitive agriculture and forestry, coastal protection as well as vital rural areas, thus being largely congruent with the EAFRD.
  • LEADER is regarded as a crucial tool for bottom-up initiation, animation and planning, as well as innovation financing and coordination. Local development strategies often include smart initiatives covering multiple thematic fields such as mobility, equality, and climate protection. The approach is being implemented by over 300 LAGs in Germany. In the funding period of 2021-2027, LEADER will continue to be based on a participatory local development strategy, thus a thematic focus in accordance with regional needs will be possible. However, the interventions are still under development.

Further information on CAP & smart villages :

Der ELER in der Gemeinsamen Agrarpolitik nach 2020: Wie bewerten EvaluatorInnen die europäischen Verordnungsentwürfe? (The EAFRD in the Common Agricultural Policy after 2020: how do evaluators assess the European regulation’s drafts?) ( 11/2018 ) - Barbara Fährmann Thünen Institute (Language : German)

Key NRN contact(s) :

National Rural Support Unit (DVS) in the Federal Office for Agriculture and Food / (Deutsche Vernetzungsstelle Ländliche Räume, DVS /Bundesanstalt für Landwirtschaft und Ernährung, BLE)
Key contact(s) :
Anke Wehmeyer (Team: rural and village development)
Email : anke.wehmeyer@ble.de
Website : https://netzwerk-laendlicher-raum.de/

Activities of the National Rural Network (NRN) on smart villages

  • The NRN is aware of the Smart Villages concept and considers the topic especially relevant with regard to basic services.
  • The NRN is observing the developments regarding Smart Villages at German as well as European level. This is safeguarded by exchange with authorities and stakeholders in Germany as well as networking with the European Network for Rural Development (ENRD) and active participation in the Smart Villages Thematic Group.
  • Furthermore, the NRN hosted a series of events on Smart Villages, starting from 27 October 2020.

Support provided through other national/ regional policies & initiatives

  • Digitalisation of rural areas is a topic widely discussed and addressed by research and policy. ‘Smart’ approaches are named, but are in most cases as digital innovation.
  • The contribution of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) to supporting smart villages through its funding for digitalisation and rural areas in Germany is expected to increase. The new pertinent EU Regulation 2021/1058 from June 2021 defines one of the ERDF objectives until 2027: “a more competitive and smarter Europe by promoting innovative and smart economic transformation and regional ICT connectivity”, as well as others that are relevant to smart villages.
  • How the federal states will translate these objectives into measures in their programmes remains to be seen. German national policy addresses digitalisation in rural areas in terms of technical infrastructure (roll-out of broadband) and in terms of a wider digital change in economy and society.
  • The Federal Rural Development Scheme (Bundesprogramm Ländliche Entwicklung, BULE) by the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) addresses innovative approaches and comprises pilot and demonstration projects, pilot regions, competitions as well as knowledge transfer and research support. Digitalisation is currently covered by BULE in four main ways: (1) ‘Land.Digital’ (‘Digital Countryside’) pilot and demonstration programme; (2) support for research on ‘rural areas in the age of digitalisation’; (3) model project on smart rural regions (‘Smarte.Land.Regionen’, ‘Smart Rural Regions’); (4) model and research project on digitalisation in public services for disadvantaged regions (‘Heimat 2.0’).
  • Activities of the German federal states:

      Rhineland-Palatinate: “Digital villages Rhineland-Palatinate” was funded by the Ministry of the Interior and Sports of the Federal State of Rhineland-Palatinate and implemented by Fraunhofer IESE. An online platform providing digital solutions for rural communities and local enterprises. The approach is of interest and being taken up by villages in other parts of Germany. It started in 2015 and is still running.

      Saxony: „Digital villages Saxony“ is a project in the framework of the future initiative simul+ of the Ministry of Regional Development Saxony. Scientific institutions, companies and the administrative sector are working together on innovative solutions (products, technologies, procedures) in rural areas. The basis are solutions that have been developed already by Fraunhofer IESE. The Lommatzscher Pflege LEADER region is the rural area where all solutions are going to be tested.

      Lower Saxony: The project “Digital Villages Lower Saxony” is a cooperation project of Fraunhofer IESE and the foundation Digital Opportunities. It is funded by the Ministry of National and European Affairs and Regional Development of Lower Saxony. The project identifies the digital needs of rural residents and areas in which they can be more active in digital participation. In the interface of residents and administration, it tests how digital village solutions are used and how they can be developed to achieve a higher quality of community life in villages. The focus is always on the engagement of the local inhabitants and the connection to the administrative structures.

      Bavaria: “Digital Village Bavaria” is a cooperation initiative of five rural areas in Bavaria, Fraunhofer IESE and scientific and technological institutions funded by the Bavarian Ministry. It is an initiative, jointly carried out with residents, working to find out how to effectively manage daily digitalisation challenges. It is divided in 11 fields of action.

      Brandenburg: “Smart Country Brandenburg” is a project for Brandenburg as an area of economy and innovation with its districts, cities and villages, connected to the capital Berlin at the centre. It was developed and funded by the Economic Development Agency Brandenburg (WFBB), Fraunhofer IESE and Bitkom, jointly with other partners. It is a project for co-workers, users, digital workers, developers and innovative networkers.


  • Key organisations & contacts

    Key contact(s) :

    Stephan Bröhl (Head of Department 423: Local supply, infrastructure and technical innovations)
    Email : Stephan.Broehl@ble.de

    Commissioned by the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) to implement the Federal Programme for Rural Development (Bundesprogramm Ländliche Entwicklung, BULE).



    Further key resources

    The multi-funded CLLD approach of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany
    Florian Kittel - Ministry of Finance Saxony-Anhalt ( 27/11/2023 )
    A presentation was given on Saxony-Anhalt’s multi-funded CLLD approach, focusing on Ministry of Finances’ guidelines and the decision to exclusively implement rural development through the LEADER/CLLD approach in the upcoming planning period, addressing obstacles and success factors such as showcasing real examples and supporting project promoters during the 2nd European Smart Villages Pilot Observatory meeting.
    Language : English

    Lighthouse factsheet of Ovenhousen
    Parish council of the catholic church St.Maria Salome Ovenhousen ( 2023 )
    The factsheet outlines the  the smart journey of Ovenhousen, lighthouse community in digital services within the Smart Rural 27 project. Ovenhousen’s vision of how digital applications could be used to improve day-to-day life in the village. Two main goals are improving digital competences of the residents and creating digital services tailored to the village.
    Language : English

    Podcast | Ovenhausen
    Heidrun Wuttke - Ovenhausen ( 2023 )
    Podcast featuring Ovenhausen, a digital village known as a lighthouse example for future-oriented rural development. With its participation in innovative digital projects like “Smart Country Side” and “Dorf.Zukunft.Digital,” Ovenhausen has become an integrative commune, with about 800 participants regularly using digital applications for communication in the village and neighboring areas, earning recognition for its networking and cooperation efforts.
    Language : English

    Launch meeting Knowledge Cluster on Digital Services- Ovenhausen
    Hans- Werner Gorzolka , Heidrun Wuttke - Ovenhausen ( 26/04/2023 )
    Video presentation of Ovenhausen  lighthouse example during the Introductory Meeting of the e-Service Knowledge Cluster  that showcased their innovative approach to harnessing digital solutions for local development purposes
    Language : English

    How to co-design e-services with rural communities
    Lutz Kubitschke - empirica ( 17/10/2022 )
    A presentation on lessons learned from the Smart Rural 21 expert support provided to three of the project’s villages: Dingle (Ireland); Penela (Portugal); and Sollstedt (Germany). The presentation was given in the workshop “When is digital technology becoming a ‘game-changer’ in improving local services?” at the Smart Rural 21 project’s Final Conference of 17-18 October 2022 in Sopot, Poland.
    Language : English

    Smart villages: Revitalising Rural Services
    ( 09/07/2018 )
    A video with German subtitles produced by the ENRD Contact Point summarising what a ‘smart village’ represents from different perspectives.
    Language : English, German

    Smart Village project in Brandenburg
    COCONAT ( 2019 – Ongoing )
    Bad Belzig and Wiesenburg are the real laboratory for testing digital tools in rural areas for Brandenburg Region.  
    Language : German

    Smart Country Brandenburg
    Fraunhofer Institute for Experimental Software Engineering (Fraunhofer IESE) , Economic Development Agency Brandenburg (WFBB) , Bitkom ( 2019 – Ongoing )
    A project targeting the state of Brandenburg as a lively economic and innovation area with its districts, towns and villages. The project follows the strategic goals of the “Future Strategy Digital Brandenburg” with which the state government wants to support “digital showcases and practical laboratories” so that “new developments become ‘tangible’ and transferable”.
    Language : English, German

    Digital Village Bavaria
    Fraunhofer Institute for Experimental Software Engineering (Fraunhofer IESE)
    An initiative working to shorten the distances for food supply by using and testing a mobile sales vehicle that stops in the centre of villages that no longer have their own supply. The offer will be supplemented by a digital marketplace linking citizens, regional producers, and village shops, so that in addition to spontaneous purchases from the vehicle, orders can also be placed online.
    Language : English, German

    Digital Villages Lower Saxony
    Fraunhofer Institute for Experimental Software Engineering (Fraunhofer IESE) , Digital Opportunities Foundation
    A cooperation project in the southern part of the federal state. In the ‘Real Laboratory Southern Lower Saxony’ (located in Göttingen), the needs of the population in rural areas for more digital participation are determined together with municipalities in southern Lower Saxony. At the interface between citizens and administration, tests are being carried out on how the offers of the Digital Villages Platform can be used and further developed in order to enable a better quality of community life in villages. The focus is on the regional commitment of the local actors and the connection to municipal (administrative) structures.
    Language : German

    Digital villages Saxony
    Ministry of Regional Development Saxony ( 06/2020 – Ongoing )
    A project that develops and tests digital applications for rural areas in the Lommatzscher Pflege LEADER region. The population, municipal representatives and scientists from the Fraunhofer Institutes for Experimental Software Engineering (IESE) and for Transportation and Infrastructure Systems (IVI) jointly prepare specific practical proposals on how to implement these digital applications in workshops.
    Language : Czech, English, German, Polish

    Network of Digital Villages Rhineland-Palatinate
    Ministry of the Interior and Sports of the Federal State of Rhineland-Palatinate ( 2015 – Ongoing )
    A project working to disseminate the findings and experiences of the three model communities of the ‘Digital Villages’ project, Eisenberg and Göllheim, as well as Betzdorf-Gebhardshain to interested communities in Rhineland-Palatinate and in order to support them in their digital projects. The networking project is funded by the Rhineland-Palatinate Ministry of the Interior and Sports.
    Language : German

    ‘Heimat 2.0’: research project
    Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development (BBSR)
    The ‘Heimat 2.0’ model and research project funds model projects to implement digital solutions for public services and improved quality of life specifically in disadvantaged rural areas. It builds on the completed research programme ‘MORO digital’ and falls under the framework of the Federal Rural Development Scheme (Bundesprogramm Ländliche Entwicklung, BULE).
    Language : German

    Summary Highlights of the Smart Village Strategy of Sollstedt (Germany)
    Municipality of Sollstedt ( 12/2020 )
    The Summary Highlights of the Smart Village Strategy of Sollstedt has been developed in the context of the ‘Preparatory Action for Smart Rural Areas in the 21st Century’ project funded by the European Commission
    Language : English

    Financing models: Financing models in agriculture, the food industry and beyond – the German model
    Simone Sterly - Institut für Ländliche Strukturforschung ( 24/02/2021 )
    Short overview of civic (alternative) financing models, success factors, examples of  citizen corporation, from the food sector, as well as energy cooperatives, basic services centres. A presentation provided at the 2nd Smart Village Academy of the Smart Rural 21 project during the working group session
    Language : English

    Smart Village Strategy of Sollstedt (Germany)
    Municipality of Sollstedt ( 12/2020 )
    The Smart Village Strategy of Sollstedt has been developed in the context of the ‘Preparatory Action for Smart Rural Areas in the 21st Century’ project funded by the European Commission.
    Language : German

    NRN meeting on villages: ‘Smart Villages in rural development’
    National Rural Support Unit (DVS) in the Federal Office for Agriculture and Food / (Deutsche Vernetzungsstelle Ländliche Räume, DVS /Bundesanstalt für Landwirtschaft und Ernährung, BLE) ( 27/10/2020 )
    8th NRN network meeting on villages: ‘Smart Villages in rural development’ (‘Smart Villages in der ländlichen Entwicklung’) – online workshop.
    Language : German

    Land.Digital: 61 innovative Projekte werden gefördert (‘Digital Countryside’: funding of 61 innovative projects)
    Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) ( 10/09/2019 )
    Information on the ‘Land.Digital’ (‘Digital Countryside’) pilot and demonstration programme on the website of the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL). Funding innovative projects, the programme (2017-2022) addresses digital change in rural areas within the framework of the Federal Rural Development Scheme (Bundesprogramm Ländliche Entwicklung, BULE).
    Language : German

    Modellvorhaben ‘Smarte LandRegionen’: Das Bundesministerium für Ernährung und Landwirtschaft (BMEL) fördert digitale Lösungen fürs Land (‘Smart Rural Regions’ model project: the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture is funding digital solutions for rural areas)
    Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) ( 23/09/2020 )
    Information on the ‘Smarte LandRegionen’ (‘Smart Rural Regions’) model project on the website of the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL). The programme (based on a competition started in 2019) addresses regional digital services within the framework of the Federal Rural Development Scheme (Bundesprogramm Ländliche Entwicklung, BULE). In total, 22 regions receive funding for projects (7 regions selected by a jury in 2020, and 15 additional regions).
    Language : German

    Modellvorhaben Land(auf)Schwung (‘Rural Upswing’ model project)
    Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) ( 22/09/2019 )
    Information on the ‘Land(auf) Schwung’ (‘Rural Upswing’) model project on the website of the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL).  The programme (2015-2019) addressed regional value added, jobs and demographic change in rural areas within the framework of the Federal Rural Development Scheme (Bundesprogramm Ländliche Entwicklung, BULE).
    Language : German

    Revitalising rural services through social and digital innovation. Scoping Paper and Workplan
    ( 26/10/2017 )
    Scoping paper and workplan of the Thematic Group on smart villages of the European Network for Rural Development (ENRD) (including some German example initiatives addressing social and digital innovations – see box ‘Examples of local initiatives and projects’ on p. 7).
    Language : English

    The European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development – Digital and social innovation in rural services
    European Network for Rural Development Contact Point (ENRD CP) ( 2018 )
    Brochure on EAFRD project examples from various thematic fields and EU Member States (including the example of the ‘Digital Villages’, Germany). The brochure includes the article ‘Getting the digital ecosystem in place in Germany’, providing information on the ‘Digital Villages’ project (p. 26 f.).
    Language : English

    Digitale Dörfer (‘Digital Villages’)
    Fraunhofer-Institut für Experimentelles Software Engineering (Fraunhofer Institute for Experimental Software Engineering) (IESE)
    Online platform providing digital solutions for rural communities and local enterprises, developed within the framework of the ‘Digital Villages’ project funded by the Ministry of the Interior and Sports of the Federal State of Rhineland-Palatinate.
    Language : German

    Kompetenzzentrum Ländliche Entwicklung (Competence Centre for Rural Development)
    Competence Centre for Rural Development / Federal Office for Agriculture and Food (Kompetenzzentrum Ländliche Entwicklung, KomLE / Bundesanstalt für Landwirtschaft und Ernährung, BLE).
    Information on the Kompetenzzentrum Ländliche Entwicklung (KomLE) (Competence Centre for Rural Development) on the website of the Bundesanstalt für Landwirtschaft und Ernährung (BLE) (Federal Office for Agriculture and Food). KomLE is implementing the Bundesprogramm Ländliche Entwicklung (BULE) (Federal Rural Development Scheme). The programme addresses innovative approaches and comprises pilot and demonstration projects, pilot regions, competitions as well as knowledge transfer and research support.
    Language : German

    Smart Villages and the European Green Deal: making the connections
    Bill Slee - European Network for Rural Development Contact Point (ENRD CP) ( 19/05/2020 )
    Document on smart rural communities addressing the challenges of the European Green Deal, containing local-level examples including the ‘bio-energy village’ of Oberrosphe, Hesse, Germany (see box on p. 4).
    Language : English

    Intelligente Dörfer zur Wiederbelebung ländlicher Dienstleistungen (Smart Villages: Revitalising Rural Services)
    European Network for Rural Development Contact Point (ENRD CP) ( 05/2018 )
    ENRD EU Rural Review No. 26, issue highlighting digital and social innovation in Member States and rural communities throughout Europe regarding the improvement of basic services in rural areas, taking into consideration the potential contribution of Rural Development Programmes. The document presents information on German ‘Bio-energy Villages’ (see box on p. 29), the German ‘Digital Villages’ project (p. 19, 22), examples of digital services in German municipalities (p. 36 f.) and information on EAFRD measures relevant in Germany with regard to the smart village context (p. 42 ff.).
    Language : German

    Digital Villages – Germany
    European Network for Rural Development Contact Point (ENRD CP)
    Working document focusing on the German ‘Digital Villages’ project.
    Language : English

    German strategies for digitising rural areas
    European Network for Rural Development Contact Point (ENRD CP)
    Document focusing on the German case study region of Ostwestfalen-Lippe.
    Language : English

    Interreg Alpine Space “SmartVillages” initiative
    Swiss Centre for mountain regions Schweizerische Arbeitsgemeinschaft für die Berggebiete SAB , University of Maribor
    The project aims to apply a Smart Village approach and bring together – in so-called Regional Stakeholder Groups (policy makers, business, academia and civil society) to improve the framework for innovation through new forms of stakeholder involvement facilitated by Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). The test area includes Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Slovenia and Switzerland.
    Language : English

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