# Neuland21 ## Basic Info **Name:** Neuland21 e.V. **What is it:** Independent, non-profit think & do tank focused on improving quality of life in rural areas through digital and social innovation. Self-described mission: "Landleben für das 21. Jahrhundert" (rural life for the 21st century). **Location:** Bad Belzig, Brandenburg, Germany (headquartered at [Coconat](https://coconat-space.com), a co-working/workation retreat southwest of Berlin) **Link:** https://neuland21.de **Who is involved:** Founded by Silvia Hennig (Managing Director). --- ## Entries XX --- # Neuland21 ## Basic Info --- ## Entries - **What they do:** Three pillars — (1) innovation research: analyzing digital trends, business models, and lifestyle shifts for their potential in rural contexts, producing studies with concrete policy recommendations; (2) project development: designing and running pilot/model projects with partners, then developing scaling strategies; (3) education for innovation: workshops and events for regional developers, entrepreneurs, municipal decision-makers, and community actors. - **Thematic areas:** Housing & spatial development, work & economy, mobility, civil society & volunteering (_Ehrenamt_), public administration & open data, digital education, climate & sustainability, local services (_Nahversorgung_), health, and smart rural regions. - **Key publications:** _Urbane Dörfer_ (Urban Villages, 2019, with Berlin-Institut für Bevölkerung und Entwicklung) — a landmark study on rural-urban dynamics and digitally enabled rural living. Also published on interim use of vacant buildings in small towns (2024, for BMWSB/BBSR), digital volunteering (2023, for Federal Ministry of Agriculture), and rural land-use pressures (2024, for Wüstenrot Stiftung). - **Notable projects:** Robocode Meißen (mobile STEM education for youth in rural Saxony, 2024–2025); digital volunteering platform for Otterbach-Otterberg (open-source, part of the federal "Heimat 2.0" program); LIONA (sustainable rural innovation ecosystems); evaluation of the Schöpflin Foundation's Flow Fund (participatory grantmaking pilot in eastern Germany, 2024). - **Institutional form:** Registered non-profit association (_gemeinnütziger Verein_) under German law. Open to membership and donations. Works with federal and state ministries, foundations, and research institutes (Fraunhofer IESE, Leibniz IRS, BBSR). - **Why it matters for public administration research:** Neuland21 sits at the intersection of digitalization policy, rural governance, and civic innovation — three areas where German subnational governments face acute capacity challenges. Their work on smart rural regions and open data in municipal administration offers practical case studies for how think tanks can bridge the gap between federal policy ambitions and local implementation realities. Their location in Brandenburg — a state with significant demographic and fiscal pressures — makes them an embedded actor, not just an external advisor.