SmartCommUnity
PROGRAMME: Interreg VI-B Alpine Space
PRIORITY: Innovation and digitalisation to support a green alpine region
SPECIFIC OBJECTIVE: Exploit digitalisation benefits for citizens, businesses, research bodies, and public authorities
DURATION: 36 months until 31 October 2025
TOTAL BUDGET: €291,000.00
BUDGET ALLOCATED TO GRAN PARADISO AREA: €150,000.00
LEAD PARTNER: Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Tourisme (France)
PARTNERS: Fondation Grand Paradis (Italy), University of Pécs (Hungary), Surrey County Council (United Kingdom), Oppland County Authority (Norway), Aragon Institute of Technology (Spain), Innovalia Association (Spain), Kujawsko-Pomorskie Voivodeship (Poland), NHTV Breda University of Applied Sciences (Netherlands)
ROLE OF FONDATION GRAND PARADIS: Implementing body appointed by the Autonomous Region of Aosta Valley
Continuing the path initiated by the "SmartVillages" project towards the creation of a community of smart and sustainable mountain areas fully integrated into the "Smart Alps" network of the European Macroregional Strategy (EUSALP), the transnational cooperation project "SmartCommUnity" aims to develop and test the concept of "smart community" to fully exploit digital technologies to strengthen local alpine identity, highlighting the significant natural heritage and strong connection with natural resources within communities living in national parks, protected areas, or other communities based on natural resources. The Technological Systems Structure has identified the community within the Gran Paradiso National Park and the community of the Mont Avic Natural Park as pilot areas in Aosta Valley. To achieve the project’s objectives, the Region has entrusted Fondation Grand Paradis with specific activities to be implemented within the pilot areas in Aosta Valley. Actions assigned to Fondation Grand Paradis started on behalf of the Autonomous Region of Aosta Valley in 2023, continued throughout 2024, and will conclude by the end of 2025. For these activities, the Autonomous Region of Aosta Valley will pay Fondation Grand Paradis a maximum total amount of €150,000 (VAT included) as compensation for service and collaboration activities carried out. As part of the project activities, capitalisation initiatives of Virtual Reality (VR) projects previously implemented by Fondation Grand Paradis are planned, aiming to create two new VR experiences, one for each pilot area. On the one hand, a naturalistic excursion in the Mont Avic Park will be proposed to discover the peculiarities and importance of mountain wetland environments; on the other, the VR experience will focus on one or more cultural sites in the Gran Paradiso area, specifically the Crypt of the Saint-Léger Church in Aymavilles, the fortress of Châtel-Argent in Villeneuve, and the Castle of Introd, offering a journey to explore the rich history and culture of these sites. The intention is to make these experiences available within a unified framework that coherently and synergistically promotes VR experiences accessible in the project’s pilot areas of Aosta Valley.
