UCOMUR ( Spain, Region de Murcia) From Pilot Projects to Public Policies

UCOMUR (Union of Worker Cooperatives of the Region of Murcia, Spain) is a representative organisation supporting the development, promotion and strengthening of cooperatives and the Social Economy in Spain and Europe. With extensive experience in cooperative entrepreneurship, public policy cooperation, European projects and territorial development, UCOMUR promotes inclusive, sustainable and community-based economic models.

UCOMUR is actively involved in INTERREG Europe (Resees project) and INTERREG Sudoe (ResilientES project) to promote rural/ urban resilience and Social Economy entrepreneurship. Within this framework, UCOMUR contributes to the development of a Social Economy Hub connecting Mediterranean territories and stakeholders, with a focus on entrepreneurship in environmental sectors and the care economy. This experience strengthens our capacity to foster cross-sector cooperation, support local entrepreneurial ecosystems and develop innovative responses to environmental and social challenges.

UCOMUR also belongs to the GAIA Research Group at the Universidad Católica de Murcia (UCAM), an interdisciplinary research group focusing on the environment, social innovation and corporate social responsibility. This connection reinforces UCOMUR’s ability to bridge research, public policy and practical implementation, supporting evidence-based solutions for sustainable territorial development.

For Interreg Euro-MED Call 8, UCOMUR offers its expertise in cooperative governance, responsible public procurement and innovative financing models for sustainable territorial development. It is particularly interested in contributing to projects addressing Mediterranean health challenges linked to climate resilience, by connecting public authorities, public and private forest and green-space owners, Social Economy enterprises, research institutions and private companies.

UCOMUR can support the design and testing of territorial governance frameworks that mobilise cooperatives to deliver environmental services, promote public procurement with social and environmental criteria, and develop corporate social responsibility partnerships and alternative revenue streams to help finance long-term forest and urban green-space management. These approaches can strengthen ecosystem services, improve environmental quality and support citizen health, particularly in areas affected by forest degradation and declining green infrastructure.

Call for partnership: UCOMUR invites project coordinators and consortium partners preparing proposals for Interreg Euro-MED Call 8 to contact us to explore collaboration opportunities. We are particularly interested in joining projects seeking to strengthen local stakeholder cooperation, develop sustainable financing mechanisms for environmental management and health improvement, and enhance territorial resilience to fight climate change.

Eventhough we cannot lead the project at this very late moment, we offer European consultancy in order to manage the proposal

Please contact to elena.diaz@ucomur.coop
Ucomur website: http://www.ucomur.org
Research area: https://orcid.org/0009-0007-0180-0113