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Austrian ERD
Focus Group:
Suggested Case Studies |
| Title |
Focus
/ Activity |
Location |
RegioTech
Call Center West |
Computer
Training,
Call Center |
Hochfilzen,
Austria |
| RegioTech
wants to establish a new business park in the region to provide
employment and offer computer training especially for women. The
main activity is a call center.
The tele-center provides new ideas for the region and can help
improve the economic situation in the labor market.
Because of the unrestricted working hours and the ability to work
from home, the tele-center offers a good opportunity for young
mothers and housewives to find employment. |
|
Weide-
genossenschaften |
Agriculture,
Farming
|
Niederösterreich,
Austria
|
| Weidegenossenschaften
are cooperatives of fodder farming enterprises in Lower Austria
targeting the competitiveness of extensive grassland farming. They
are managed by the Agrarbezirksbehörde Nieder- Österreich.
Presently, there are more than 30 local cooperatives, which are
joined by approximately 660 participating individual enterprises.
|
|
Waldviertel
Management |
Direct
Marketing, Tourism
|
Waldviertel,
Austria
|
The
Waldviertel Management includes, among others, the following
projects:
(a) Fleischveredelungszentrum Waldviertel: a cooperation
of approximately 500 farmers and meat processing and distributing
enterprises. It is representative of projects in mountainous,
peripheral, and marginal regions.
(b) Initiative
Waldland: an initiative to process pharmaceutical plants in the
mountainous (alpine) areas.
(c) Since
1982 the "Forest Quarter Management" operates in Edelhof bei Zwettl
as an integrated regional development. This includes tourism on farms, youth
guesthouses, alternative animal
husbandry, as well as energy from biomass and composting. In addition,
telecommunications is promoted.
|
|
Mölltaler
Almlärchenholz
|
Forestry,
Marketing |
Waldviertel,
Austria
|
| Regional
entrepreneurs cooperate with a team of international designers
producing innovative products from larch. Larch trees serve as
valuable raw material for more than 50 innovative products including
furniture, gutters, flooring, spirits, aromatic oils, etc. The
initiative began about 5 years ago and is now very successful and
provides long-term jobs and an additional economic basis for the
region. The regionally produced, processed and marketed goods are
distributed to customers living as far as Croatia, USA or Japan.
|
|
Schulland-
und
Projektwochen |
Education,
Cultural Heritage |
Waldviertel,
Austria |
| The
private initiative “Schulland- und Projektwochen” organizes
thematically focused school trips. Regional, cultural attractions
and natural monuments, sport and other leisure activities are
combined in various thematically “all inclusive programs” for
pupils. Teachers, headmasters or organizers of youth meetings may
choose between different themes. Local organizations and companies
have built, renovated and run hostels. The youth hostels have
contracts with regional farmers and traders who provide them with
high quality food and commercial goods from the region. |
|
Verein
Steirische
Eisenstraße |
Education,
Cultural Heritage |
Eisenerz,
Austria |
|
The
objective of the "Verein Steirische Eisenstraße"
Association is the revitalization of the cultural heritage, making
the area more attractive to visitors. It is connected to the history
of mining and gives an introduction to the life and customs in
former times. The Association has organized many tourist activities,
including visits to an old smithy and a mineral mine.
|
|
Abenteuer
Erzberg
Erlebnis Schaubergwerk
|
Education,
Cultural Heritage |
Eisenerz,
Austria |
| Sight-seeing tours in an old pit mine are offered
to interested visitors.
During the excursion the visitors learn more about the history and
work of the mine. They can receive a driver’s license for an old
steam engine. Guided tours are available on the surface and inside
the mine as well as motorbike and mountain bike races in the mine.
Furthermore, the adventure park "Oswaldirücken " offers
the possibility of collecting minerals and creating individual jewelry
pieces. |
|
Archäology &
Communication |
Education,
Cultural Heritage |
Eisenerz,
Austria |
| The
project „Archäologie zum Erleben“ (the experience of archeology)
offers practical education to children through outdoor lessons. The
students receive a guided tour through a special area of
archeological interest. They can make their own excavations and they
can document the treasures they find. Fa. Archäology & Communication
can organize courses upon
request. |
|
NAZ
Nordisches
Ausbildungszentrum
|
Education, Sport
|
Eisenerz, Austria
|
| The
education center NAZ Nordisches Ausbildungszentrum offers special training courses for
young people and school classes in Nordic sports. The course participants are
trained in several Nordic sports disciplines.
|
|
|
| Tele-Teaching
|
Education, IT
|
Eisenerz,
Austria
|
| The
project is a cooperation between three high schools: HASCH/HAK, BORG Eisenerz and
BULME Graz with the aim of telecommunication. For instance, they organize
videoconferences. |
|
Prima
Dienstleistungs GmbH
|
Labor Market
Social integration |
Eisenerz,
Austria
|
| Prima
Dienstleistungs GmbH wants to create new employment opportunities for
disadvantaged people and help them to re-integrate in the labor market. The
company supports regional development by creating more jobs in the area. Additionally, Prima Dienstleistungs GmbH operates in the
tourism and environmental protection sector and looks for market niches in
those fields.
|
|
Kulturverein
Innerberger Forum
|
Cultural Heritage
|
Eisenerz,
Austria
|
| The
Kulturverein Innerberger Forum Association organizes the Innerberger Culture
Days, a big attraction in the summer for the local population and for tourists. During the festival period all kinds of cultural activities take
place such as theatre productions, jazz concerts, folk music concerts, art galleries
viewing, etc.
Furthermore,
the Association organizes several other cultural events in the region.
|
|
| Sommer-Universität
|
Education
Training |
Eisenerz,
Austria
|
| The
summer university is an application oriented education system that offers courses
and lectures related to European regional development and regional research.
Since 1993 a course lasting several weeks is offered in Eisenerz and it has
become increasingly popular in the last years. The organizers of the summer
university are not from the
region, but are supported by local entrepreneurs.
|
|
Naturpark
Eisenwurzen
|
Recreation, Tourism
|
Steiermark,
Austria
|
| The
Naturpark Eisenwurzen is a recreation center offering several leisure time
activities. Especially in the winter, it receives many visitors who enjoy
beautiful nature and winter sports such as cross country skiing, ice-skating
and sleigh rides.
In
the summer there is a big festival in the nature park which takes place in
the mystic old castle Burg Gallenstein.
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|
| Schilcherland
|
Direct Marketing
|
West-Styria,
Austria
|
| The
Schilcherland Spezialitäten Association
organizes direct marketing concepts for several farmers in the
Western Styria region. The eco- farming products undergo strong quality
controls. The association tries to establish "Schilcherland Spezialitäten" as a
leading brand name for high quality food products. |
|
Therapiegarten
Gesundheitszentrum
|
Health
Tourism |
Stainz-Herbersdorf
Austria
|
| The
therapy garden Stainz-Herbersdorf
was founded as a private initiative and is a recreation center offering health seminars. An interdisciplinary team consisting of doctors,
biologists, physiotherapists, garden architects, pharmacologists, artists and
others work in the center. The main focus of the health center
is to provide seminars and courses as well as to organize recreation visits
and promote a healthy life style. Located in a nice area and surrounding of a beautiful garden, the center receives many visitors.
|
|
| Ökopharm
|
Pharmaceutical Products
|
Mossham,
Austria
|
| The
company was founded in 1981. In 1988 it began concentrating more on the
research and development of new pharmaceutical products for nutrition called
nutraceuticals. The company has contracts with local farmers who supply them
with products.
|
|
Urlaub
am Bauernhof
Ab-Hof-Verkauf
|
Direct Marketing,
Farm tourism
|
Carinthia,
Austria
|
| Many
farms in the mountain regions in Austria are generating a second income from
tourism and direct marketing of their products. Farm-tourism has become
increasingly popular in recent years, especially in the alpine regions which
are favorite holiday destinations.
The
awareness for healthy food products, and the demand for ecologically produced
goods that come directly from the farm are growing and offer the farmers
an additional income.
|
|
| “Der
Steinbacher Weg” |
Village
development
|
Steinbach,
Austria
|
|
In Steinbach, a local village development
concept was created to enhance the municipal development and improve the
quality of life in the village. The concept contains a detailed analysis about
the strengths and weaknesses of the municipality, the potentials for
development, and it represents methods for a substantial development, which
combines economical, social and environmental factors.
|
|
| Bezirk
Kirchdorf
|
Regional
development
|
Kirchdorf,
Krems, Austria
|
| In
the context of the campaign Agenda 21, Kirchdorf compiles its own regional
Agenda 21. The municipality acts as a pilot project in that field. There is a
very close cooperation project between the municipality, regional
associations, and the regional chamber of commerce. The target is to develop
the region in a sustainable way with participatory planning and
integrated community management.
|
|
| Moorbad Harbach |
Health
tourism
Lifestyle tourism |
Harbach,
Austria
|
| In
1980 it became the first recreation and cure center developed in Harbach with
approximately 180 guest beds. In 1982 Moorbad was officially named as the
first Waldviertler cure municipality. The cure and health center consists of a
private hospital for rheumatism and metabolic illnesses, four health hotels
and a sport and meeting center. Furthermore, Austria’s first “life-style
center” was established there. The
moorland therapeutic bath Harbach works in co-operation with Univ.-Prof. Dr.
Kunze of the Institute for Social Medicine of the University of Vienna. |
|
Niderösterreichische
Hoflieferanten
|
Direct Marketing, Agriculture
|
Niederösterreich, Austria
|
| The
Niederösterreichische Hoflieferanten
is a group of farmers who supply the region with fresh farm
products, such as meat, milk products, bread, juice, etc.
Apart from the traditional agricultural production they
specialize in the making of wine and fruit juices. All items are produced
and processed naturally and are famous for their high quality standards. |
|
| Kronberg Institut |
Research, Regional
Development
|
Kronberg,
Austria
|
| The
Institute aims to advance regional development. It carries out several
research projects related to economic and socio-cultural development. Furthermore, the
Institute organizes courses
on regional development and management for local entrepreneurs.
|
|
| Krameterhof
|
Organic
farming,
Eco-farming |
Ramingstein,
Austria
|
| The
Krameterhof is a
mountain farm in Ramingstein and is considered a paradise for biologists who are interested in alternative
organic agriculture. Sepp Holzer and
his family manage the farm. It offers an introduction to different farming
practices such as agro-forestry, an alternative tree nursery and a permanent
culture
garden. The eco-farm is run in an environmentally friendly way. It gives an
idea on how farming can be combined with nature protection and ecological
life cycles. |
|
| Kulturzentrum
Liesing |
Rural
culture |
Lesachtal,
Austria
|
| The
culture center Lesachtal was founded in 1996 by several initiatives from the
local population - with little support from political authorities. At that time, the small village Lesachtal was facing the
problem of depopulation. Many young people were moving away. Lesach’s community established the center to make
life more attractive and offer more leisure time activities. Different
local associations such as the fire brigade and a folk dancing group were
created. The organization of special cultural events tries to preserve the cultural
heritage of the area and to enrich the quality of life of the local
inhabitants.
|
|
Natur
Pur - Sanoll
(Ziegenmilchkosmetik)
|
Alternatives
in agriculture |
Stams,
Tyrolia, Austria
|
| The Sanoll family produces various cosmetic products from goat milk since the
1980s. Presently, a special sales woman is hired to organize distribution
in the Vienna region to 150 outlets. In the rest of Austria the marketing of
their products is done through a sales distribution of 250 shops and through mail
order.
|
|
Werkstatt für agrikulturelle
Bildung und
Forschung
|
Education
Training |
Rauris, Salzburg,
Austria
|
|
The project began on a farm as a personal
initiative. The project aims to raise awareness and transmit knowledge about
agricultural practices and changes in mountain areas. Since the mid 1990’s
specific courses for children and rural women have been prepared and offered
at the farm, where a teaching room has been built for these purposes.
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| Speik Produkte
|
Old
agricultural
plants,
pharmaceuticals |
Unterkärnten,
Weststeiermark,
Austria
|
| Speik is a plant, growing only in a small area in the mountains in
Carinthia and Styria and has the potential to be used in the manufacture of
pharmaceutical products. This potential has been analyzed in a research
project commissioned by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. As the plant
is largely subject to nature protection, its production and use presents specific
legal difficulties, in addition to the economic ones of such an activity.
However, due to the commitment of researchers and some active people,
production and processing has started and seems to have a high potential
for expansion.
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|
|
Kärntner Holzstraße |
Forestry |
Carinthia,
Austria |
|
The
Kärntner Holzstaße
is a multifunctional and endogenous project in the Carinthian region of the "Nockberge",
part of the Gurktaler Alpen. It promotes the resource and use of wood, based
on realistic economical, cultural, social and other objectives.
|
|
Käsestrasse
Bregenzerwald |
Tourism,
Local Products |
|
|
More than 200 small and medium enterprises have
developed the Cheese Road into an example of co-operation in marketing. The
offers developed within the project include culinary treats, organization of
special events, holiday and leisure time specials as well as the selling of
handicrafts. The “Cheese Road Bregenzerwald” is becoming a brand name and
is known for its high quality standards. The project aims to increase the
awareness of local products and tourism in the area.
|
| Please
note! This is a list of
rural development initiatives proposed by our Austrian collaborators.
Additional development initiatives may be added if necessary. The
list serves as a pool, from which 12- 15 initiatives will be selected
according to our catalogue
of selection criteria for conducting detailed case studies. |
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