The project
A digital backbone for sharing rural innovation.
SmartVillages brought together partners across the Alpine region to improve the conditions for innovation in rural and mountain communities. One of its central outputs was the Digital Exchange Platform (DEP): a place to exchange knowledge, tools, and good practices.
My contribution
From platform research to a working release.
As part of Work Package 2, I contributed across the DEP's research, architecture, implementation, and testing phases.
- Reviewed existing European digital platforms to identify useful patterns and potential DEP functionality.
- Explored open technical solutions that informed the platform's architectural backbone and Technical Architecture Report.
- Developed custom WordPress plugins and structured the platform's content.
- Helped implement and test the first functional DEP release with the wider technical team.
D.T2.1.2DEP Technical Architecture Report
D.T2.3.1Functional DEP platform
The value
Technical decisions grounded in long-term usefulness.
The work was not simply about launching another website. It involved understanding how a multi-partner platform could remain useful, navigable, and maintainable while serving communities with different needs across several countries.