The Rural 3.0 project is co-funded by the EU programme Erasmus +, has a duration of 3 years, and is coordinated by the Polytechnic Institute of Viana do Castelo. Eight European institutions of higher education and eight local action groups collaborate, of which AJD is part, having in the Portuguese territory as intervention area the municipality of Viana do Castelo and the lands of Geraz do Lima and Deão. It is defined as an alliance of knowledge between these 8 European countries (Portugal, Spain, Italy, Croatia, Austria, Germany, The Netherlands and Lithuania), with higher education institutions and local institutions from very different rural areas, each one with its own history, quite distinct experiences in service learning and social entrepreneurship in a rural context, different educational systems, as well as specific needs of the communities regarding their location and political-economic conditions.

Rural 3.0 aims to bring these higher education institutions and rural partners together to work on a common issue - the development needed to make changes in rural communities in response to their needs. It supports the modernisation of higher education in Europe through transnational curriculum based on the innovative service learning approach, which brings students, academics and the community together to develop solutions to challenging issues, as well as product and process innovation. It is also intended to stimulate social entrepreneurship of higher education teaching staff and rural entities through transnational cooperation between higher education institutions and rural partners. In addition, new learning and teaching methods will be jointly developed and implemented.