Pexels Karola G
Project overview
Solutions for Optimal Service Provision and Health Equity in Remote Environments
Residents in peripheral areas often feel isolated and insecure because health and social services are fragmented, hard to access digitally and poorly known. SOSPHERE aims to make support easier to reach and to trust in. Partners co-design one-stop-shops that bring providers together, improve coordination and give citizens a stronger voice, and develop strategies and guidelines to boost digital health literacy. Successful models can then be rolled out in other regions facing similar challenges.
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0,69m €
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Project Budget
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80%
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of the Budget is funded by ERDF
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3
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Countries
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4
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Regions
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4
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Partners
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1
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Pilots
Duration
Start date
End date
Project progress
Project partnership
Project partners
Lead partner
CENTRAL EUROPEAN INITIATIVE - EXECUTIVE SECRETARIAT
Project Management Office
Project partner
Innovation and Development Department
Total partner budget
194,900 €
Total partner budget
154,560 €
Administrative department for the economy and EU projects
Total partner budget
165,200 €
Roadmap
1
The problem
In rural and peripheral areas across Central Europe, health and social services exist - but people aren't using them. Not because they don't need them, but because they can't find them, don't trust them, or simply don't know where to start.
2
Who's Affected
Older adults in Labin (Croatia), Beltinci (Slovenia), and Treviso's Santa Bona district (Italy) face depopulation, poor transport links, and a growing gap between the services available and the people who need them most.
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Our Approach
Rather than building new services from scratch, SOSPHERE asks: what's already there, and how do we make it work better? We start by listening to citizens, service providers, and local authorities, and mapping needs and gaps together. By doing so, we co-design "one-stop-shops": simple, welcoming spaces where anyone can get clear guidance on local health and social services.
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Testing it live
Each pilot area brings the one-stop-shop to life in its own way: a digital platform in Labin, a community intergenerational centre in Beltinci, and a neighbourhood support hub in Treviso's Santa Bona district.
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Sharing what works
Three pilot communities will test the model, then share a toolkit and strategy that will capture every lesson learned, so other lagging areas across Central Europe can replicate the model without starting from zero.
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Lasting impact
Beyond the project, a transnational working group will keep partners connected, sharing updates and innovations. The goal: communities that are more informed, more confident, and better served - long after SOSPHERE ends.
News
Pilot actions
Outputs
Strategy for one-stop-shop development in rural and lagging area
Getting services to the people who need them isn't just an operational challenge - it's a question of design. This strategy brings together local authorities, service providers, and citizens through a co-design process to define what a one-stop-shop should look like in a rural or lagging area. The result is a practical, adaptable framework that policymakers can pick up and use: mapping services, analysing needs, and setting up local stakeholder groups that actually reflect the community they serve.
Type of output: Strategies and action plans
Toolkit for Improved Access to Services in Lagging and Peripheral Areas
What does it really take to make services accessible in a place that's been left behind? This toolkit answers that question: built from the ground up, shaped by the real experiences of the three pilot communities. It lays out a collaborative model where public authorities, service providers, and citizens work together, not in silos. A practical, honest resource for anyone looking to replicate what SOSPHERE has learned.
Type of output: Solutions
Project documents
Newsletters
SOSPHERE
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