Bridging Local Perspectives and European Action: XGain's Policy Co-Creation Approach

The persistent digital divide in rural and coastal areas continues to pose significant challenges to inclusive development across the EU, as identified in the Digital Decade 2030 programme and the Long-Term Vision for Rural Areas. Within this context, the XGain project, has adopted a structured, participatory approach to generate policy recommendations aimed at accelerating digital transformation in under-connected regions. Led by i2CAT under Work Package 6 Impact Maximisation and Outreach (T6.4 Social and Policy Innovation), the project’s policy co-creation process was designed to ensure that policy strategies are not only evidence-based and technically sound, but also socially legitimate and grounded in the experiences of rural stakeholders.