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The Czech-Bavarian pilot

Bavaria takes applied research out to rural districts through Technology Campuses; the Czech side of the Šumava has nothing comparable. The pilot plans to change that.

What is the Czech-Bavarian pilot trying to transfer across the border, and what is the status of the Klatovy hub?

Elements of the Bavarian Technology Campus model, which takes applied research beyond the university into rural districts. The Innovation Hub in Klatovy is proposed in the RAP; a Memorandum of Understanding and a cross-border Steering Committee are planned to institutionalise it.

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Czech-Bavarian border: a proposed innovation hub for Klatovy

main tellingexample world: czech-bavariadepth: standard3 min markdown

The Czech-Bavarian border region is rural, mountainous and sparsely populated, shaped by the Šumava and Bayerischer Wald (Bohemian and Bavarian Forest). The pilot focuses on the Klatovy district in the Plzeň Region and nearby rural areas. Across the border are the Bavarian research and innovation networks around Deggendorf.

The main square of Klatovy

The main square of Klatovy. Photo: PoliRuralPlus pilot materials (RP6), poliruralplus.eu

TerritoryKlatovy district and Šumava (CZ); Bavarian Forest (DE)
PartnersPlan4All, P4A (lead); Deggendorf Institute of Technology, DIT; CCSS co-authored the policy brief
ThemeCross-border rural innovation; transfer of the Technology Campus model
RAPCzech-Bavarian RAP: roadmap for the Klatovy hub, post-2026
Open callsOutreach: FarmTourist. Mobilise: DIPS. Develop: LocalLinks.AI

The challenge

Businesses, farmers and municipalities here are far from research institutions, business support and advanced digital services. Urban incubator and campus models fit sparsely populated areas poorly. Climate pressure on farming and forestry, youth outmigration, labour shortages, different administrative systems and the language barrier all make it harder. The brief puts the gap plainly: Bavaria has a decentralised network of Technology Campuses, but the Czech side, especially Klatovy and the Šumava, has no comparable support structure.

What the plan sets out

The brief recommends a cross-border innovation hub in Klatovy, inspired by the Technology Campus model, offering training, demonstration and networking for farmers, SMEs and rural innovators. Its other recommendations are training in precision agriculture, water management and regenerative practices; short supply chains and on-farm processing; equipping Local Action Groups to help with funding; and broadband and AI capacity in remote villages. The pilot describes its logic as Connect → Experiment → Institutionalise → Continue.

Tools, open calls and status

JackDaw is a PoliRural+ platform tool that these projects used; the pilot does not develop it. The Klatovy Innovation Hub is proposed, and the planned MoU and cross-border Steering Committee are meant to keep it going after 2026. The 2026 pilot text describes the hub less as a building and more as a support model combining networks, digital tools, advice and cross-border cooperation. Chapter 4 seeds a local GeoAI knowledge base for the same Klatovsko territory.

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