As part of the project “AGILE ARVIER. THE CULTURE OF CHANGE”, Fondazione Santagata and Netural Coop Impresa Sociale are promoting the “Arvier Innovation” residency program, aimed at innovative trainers and/or researchers from all over Europe to be held in the municipality of Arvier (AO).
The residency will take place from November 2025 to May 2026 in Arvier (AO), according to the following schedule:
- 2 residencies in 2025 (17 November – 17 December 2025)
- 10 residencies in 2026 (January – May 2026)
Each residency will have a maximum duration of 1 month.
The purpose of the residencies will be to encourage exchanges of best practices between innovative trainers engaged in the development of innovative projects with businesses, associations, and local organisations in order to raise awareness among local participants of the resources available and with a view to enhancing these resources so as to develop new local development strategies through a participatory and inclusive approach.
CHECK THE RESULTS
What do we ask to our guests in residence?
- To meet the local community and engage with the economic and institutional fabric;
- To share visions and experiences;
- To prepare training sessions open to the community on the themes of the residency project;
- To collaborate with the local area in defining new visions for development and creating prototypes based on their own stories.
Themes
- Climate change and the mountains
New innovative opportunities to reinvent tourism, agriculture, and everyday practices, adapting to climate change - Inclusive culture
Culture as a tool to improve the quality of life in the mountains and the well-being of people, including the most vulnerable. - Social sustainability
Innovative models of cohesion and inclusion to enable active participation in the social, economic, and cultural life of inland and mountain areas.
Objectives
The residency project must pursue one or more of the following outputs:
- Generate the development of a collective creative process, seeking to produce new projects and visions for development in the area, involving businesses, citizens, and third sector organisations;
- Build capacity in the territory by strengthening the skills and abilities of the local entities involved through non-formal learning or the transmission of a methodology;
- Connect local entities by developing local partnerships and collaborations between different actors in the territory on the topics covered by this call;
- Transform the social context by introducing new working methods and inclusive, innovative processes.
What the project offers
The proposing organisation will offer the following services at no additional cost to the selected innovative trainers and/or researchers:
- Accommodation: those selected will live in Arvier and will have a single or double room with a shared kitchen and bathroom
- Networking: guests in residence will have the opportunity to get to know organisations, businesses, local institutions, and citizens thanks to the facilitation of a local figure who will organise meetings, experiences, and proposals for exploring the area, its excellence, and its history
- Support offered: €1250 gross. Selected participants will receive a gross fee of 1250€ to take part in the residency.
- Travel: Travel expenses will be covered by the organisation
- Curation and technical support.
Why Arvier
Arvier, a village in the Aosta Valley with about 870 inhabitants (of which Leverogne is the most populated hamlet), is located at the entrance to the Valgrisenche. Like many inland and mountain areas, it faces challenges related to marginalisation, depopulation, and lack of services, but at the same time offers new opportunities for social and territorial innovation thanks to the enhancement of local resources.
This is the context in which the Arvier Innovation project was born, promoted by the Santagata Foundation and Netural Coop Impresa Sociale as part of Agile Arvier. The culture of change, with the aim of experimenting with replicable practices for the sustainable development of Alpine villages.
Why participate
- To experiment with new practices in the Arvier area, in direct contact with the community, with the aim of enhancing the area’s resources and opening it up to new development prospects;
- To share experiences and methodologies with other trainers and researchers in residence;
- To create connections with businesses, associations, institutions, and citizens in the area by building local and international collaboration networks;
- To contribute to the transformation of a territory;
- Enjoy an immersive experience in a unique alpine village, surrounded by nature, history, and traditions.
Organiser
Fondazione Santagata for the Economics of Culture, based in Turin, is an independent organization engaged in the promotion and enhancement of cultural heritage and the creative industries. Founded in 2018, it fosters sustainable development and innovation through research, training, and strategic support, working in collaboration with both local and international institutions. In 2023, the Foundation received official recognition as a “Foundation in Official Relations with UNESCO.”
Netural Coop is a creative and cultural enterprise specialising in consulting, service design, and innovative product development. Its main objective is to enhance the potential of territories, communities, and businesses by promoting social innovation and sustainability. Netural Coop has solid experience in enhancing cultural and natural heritage through innovative and digital solutions, generating positive impacts and creating new economies. It has offices in Gorizia, Friuli Venezia Giulia, and Matera, Basilicata.
Official strategic partners
Ashoka: the world’s largest network of innovative, visionary, and revolutionary social entrepreneurs enabling social and environmental change.
Holis: an interdisciplinary community working on the most critical ecological and social challenges of our time.
Wonder Grottole: a social enterprise dedicated to rural regeneration through community experiences and widespread hospitality projects, promoting a model of active and sustainable tourism.
The project “AGILE ARVIER. THE CULTURE OF CHANGE” is funded by PNRR – Next Generation EU, for the pilot project PNRR M1C3 Measure 2 Investment 2.1 line A – CUP F87B22000380001.