On September 11^th, the R-Map team came together for its 4^th Project Meeting at Koç University in Istanbul, marking another milestone in its mission to bridge the urban-rural divide through digital innovation and remote work solutions. Hosted at one of Turkey’s leading academic institutions, Koç University campus, the meeting brought together partners across Europe to reconnect in person, assess progress and collaboratively plan the next stages.

R-Map Consortium at Koç University campus

Reflecting on Progress

The meeting opened with a warm welcome from the hosts at Koç University, whose excellent organization and hospitality set the tone for two productive days. Throughout the meeting, partners:

• Shared updates on key project areas, including data collection and analysis across the 6 use case areas, with a focus on identifying and examining the main remote working phenomena in each area, as well as the local factors influencing them.

• Strategic planning of future actions, such as setting up our pilots in 6 European regions of the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Italy, Greece, Türkiye, Switzerland-Austria.

A significant highlight of the meeting was the continued development of the R-Map Platform, a user-friendly digital tool that combines advanced analytics, spatial modeling, and interactive visualizations. Designed to empower policymakers and regional planners, the platform will allow users to explore and compare different remote work scenarios and evaluate socio-economic impacts.

Fostering Collaboration with Sister and Synergy Projects

In a dedicated session on “Synergies”, R-Map brought together representatives from sister and synergizing projects Remaking, WinWin4WorkLife, and Remote-IT. The guests shared their progress and best practices and participated in a dynamic dialogue on common challenges and opportunities for alignment. This cross-project exchange marked the shared commitment to inclusive digital transition and strengthened the broader ecosystem of European research addressing the future of work.

Planning the Next Steps

As the project moves into its next phase, R-Map remains focused on delivering actionable insights and tools that support remote work.

Thank you to Koç University for hosting this impactful meeting and we look forward to continued collaboration towards a more digitally connected and territorially inclusive Europe!