RUSTIK

What RUSTIK does

RUSTIK is a four-year transdisciplinary research project operating under the European Union's Horizon Europe programme (Grant Agreement ID: 101061051, October 2022 to June 2026) with supplementary support from UKRI/Innovate UK via the Horizon Europe Guarantee scheme. The project is coordinated by the Institute for Rural Development Research (IfLS) and legally hosted through FUNDACIÓN EMPRESA UNIVERSIDAD GALLEGA (FEUGA) in Santiago de Compostela, Spain. Its stated mission is to enable rural communities and policymakers to design better strategies, initiatives, and policies fostering sustainability transitions of rural areas through improved evidence and analytical tools.

RUSTIK's technical core comprises the RUSTIK Information System, a pan-European database containing over 100 indicators reflecting five rural functions (ecological services, innovative infrastructures and services, land-based products, diversified production systems, and social capital and cultural assets), complemented by 14 regionally curated Living Lab databases and the RUSTIK Data Viewer — an interactive online mapping platform. Additional products include AI-powered dashboards, participatory GIS, an agent-based land-use model, system dynamics modelling for food systems, web/data scraping tools, and the Decentralised Rural Proofing methodology. The project distributes all outputs free of charge via the RUSTIK website, Zenodo repository, and Living Lab network across 14 pilot regions in 10 European countries (Germany, Austria, Finland, Spain, UK, Wales, Portugal, Italy, Serbia, among others).

The project operates as a non-commercial consortium involving 36+ partner institutions including universities, research institutes, regional development agencies, and local authorities. Revenue derives solely from EU and UKRI grant funding; there is no pricing model, and all deliverables, databases, tools, and software are publicly available. Customer segments include EU, national, regional, and local policymakers; local and regional administrations; researchers and analysts; civil society organisations; and Living Lab practitioners — all served through open-access dissemination rather than commercial transactions.

Name

RUSTIK

Legal name

FUNDACIÓN EMPRESA UNIVERSIDAD GALLEGA

Website

https://rustik-he.eu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

RUSTIK is a Horizon Europe research project that builds pan-European and Living Lab datasets, tools, and methodologies to support rural sustainability policy and decentralised rural proofing for EU, national, and regional stakeholders.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Rural Sustainability Research and Data Platform

NAICS

Surveying and Mapping (except Geophysical) Services (54137), Environmental Consulting Services (54162), Farm Management Services (115116)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming Services (7371), Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Environmental Reporting, Dashboards & Regulatory Submittals (Automated Reports, e-Reporting) (EUAHAKAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Farm Data Platforms, Integration & APIs (Interoperability/Middleware) (AFAAAFAG), Field Mapping, GIS & Remote Sensing Analytics (AFAAAFAB), Decision Support & Agronomic Modeling (Yield, Irrigation, Pest/Disease Forecasting) (AFAAAFAF)

Keywords

• Rural sustainability research
• Territorial data platform
• Rural proofing methodology
• Living lab framework
• Policy assessment tools

Headquarters

HQ city

Santiago de Compostela

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Horizon Europe Research Funding: RUSTIK is a four-year Horizon Europe research project (Grant Agreement ID: 101061051) funded by the European Union. The project also receives support from UKRI through the Horizon Europe Guarantee scheme.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

RUSTIK is a Horizon Europe transdisciplinary research project that develops and operates a pan-European data infrastructure and policy-support toolkit for rural sustainability transitions. It delivers the RUSTIK Data Viewer (an interactive mapping platform), the RUSTIK Information System and Core Database (100+ indicators), 14 regional Living Lab databases, an agent-based land-use model, participatory GIS, AI-powered dashboards, web/data scraping tools, system dynamics modelling for food systems, and a standardised Decentralised Rural Proofing methodology, all made publicly available as open-access resources to EU, national, regional, and local policymakers and researchers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• RUSTIK Data Viewer

Quantifiable outcome

• 14 databases at regional level and RUSTIK Information System at European level
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability4 records

Feature9 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• GRANULAR ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 June 2026RUSTIK and GRANULAR are joint Horizon Europe projects conducting a shared Final Conference on 24-25 June 2026 in Brussels. Both projects focus on rural data, territorial analysis, and policy support, with complementary approaches and shared dissemination activities.
• ELARD Knowledge HubcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2026ELARD Knowledge Hub is a RUSTIK consortium partner. Their representative Marion Eckardt delivered an inaugural lecture at the 4th European Rural Geographies Conference on 'From Practice to Policy: A Practitioner's Journey Through the Development of Rural Europe'.
• Institute for Rural Development Research (IfLS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2026IfLS coordinates the RUSTIK project and contributed posters on comparing social inclusion challenges and knowledge through transdisciplinary methods at the 4th European Rural Geographies Conference.
• Countryside and Community Research Institute (CCRI), University of GloucestershirecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2026CCRI leads the UK Living Labs (Gloucestershire and Monmouthshire) and presented research on rural functions and digital transition at European Rural Geographies Conference.
• University of PortominorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2026Hosted the 4th European Rural Geographies Conference in Porto, Portugal where RUSTIK contributed posters and oral presentations.
• RARIS (Regional Development Agency for Eastern Serbia)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 April 2026RARIS organized the Living Lab meeting in Serbia bringing together dairy farmers and Hotel Sunce to establish trial supply partnerships. RARIS conducted data experiments interviewing restaurants, hotels, agricultural holdings, and agri-food businesses.
• 14 Living Labs Consortium PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner14 Living Labs operating in pilot regions across Germany, Austria, Finland, Spain, UK (England and Wales), Portugal, Italy, Serbia, and other European countries. Includes local authorities, development agencies, research institutes, and community organizations.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• SHERPA Project: A Horizon 2020 project producing position papers and policy recommendations on rural Europe. SHERPA shares RUSTIK's policy-facing, multi-actor engagement model and rural proofing focus.
• GRANULAR Project: A sibling Horizon Europe project on rural data and territorial analysis. RUSTIK and GRANULAR are conducting a joint Final Conference in June 2026 and share complementary methodologies, audiences, and dissemination channels.
• DESIRA Project: A prior Horizon 2020 project focused on digitalisation and rural socio-ecological systems. DESIRA's Rural Digitisation Index and Living Lab approaches directly overlap with RUSTIK's methodology and data systems.

Broad incumbents

• European Network for Rural Development (ENRD): An EU hub connecting rural development stakeholders across member states. ENRD overlaps with RUSTIK's stakeholder engagement, policy brief distribution, and rural proofing ambitions.
• Eurostat: The EU statistical office provides authoritative regional and rural statistics. Eurostat overlaps with the Core RUSTIK Database on socioeconomic and demographic indicators but operates as a permanent institution.
• ESPON EGTC: The European Territorial Observation Network produces pan-European territorial indicators and maps for EU policy. ESPON overlaps with RUSTIK on territorial data and rural visualisation but operates with permanent institutional funding.
• Joint Research Centre (JRC): The European Commission's science and knowledge service produces rural and regional indicators (e.g., the EU Rural Typology). JRC overlaps with RUSTIK's indicator framework but with vastly larger permanent resources.
• OECD Centre for Rural Well-being: OECD's rural policy unit publishes the Rural Well-being Index and policy reviews. Their territorial indicator work and rural proofing frameworks directly parallel RUSTIK's approach at a global level.
• FAO Rural and Urban Development: The UN Food and Agriculture Organization's rural development division publishes global frameworks (e.g., the OECD-FAO Policy Framework). FAO overlaps with RUSTIK's rural function taxonomy and food system modelling.

Regional players

• Agroscope: Switzerland's federal agricultural research body that builds decision-support systems and farm management tools. Comparable in combining research with practical agronomic decision support, but operating only within Switzerland.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/RustikHEU
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC49Mj5sMdVk-tTcBgkbuPzQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/RustikHE
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rustikheu

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about RUSTIK