
Innovative Maßnahmen für Frauen
Innovator
Innovative Measures for Women (IMF)
Germany
Economic
Rural Areas
Remote rural areas
The innovation journey
The “Innovative Measures for Women in Rural Areas (IMF)” project offers customised support for women in rural areas in the federal state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. It specifically supports women by promoting investments in companies as well as measures for qualification and coaching.
The IMF programme aims to empower women to become entrepreneurs themselves. It enables women to return to work and thus contribute to the family income. In this way, it helps families to remain in rural areas and thus contributes to social cohesion. In contrast to conventional support measures for agricultural businesses, it is not aimed at farm owners, but explicitly at all women in rural areas who want to become self-employed with their innovative ideas. This makes the innovative strength of women visible. The project is unique in Germany and was launched in 2006 on the initiative of an MEP. It is already in its 3rdfunding period from 2024 to 2030, with support from the EU and the federal state.
The innovation impact
The three rural women’s associations in Baden-Württemberg have campaigned for this project. Innovative projects with a lighthouse character are funded. As a result, there have been more business start-ups by women and an increase in jobs. Many of the first projects from the early years of the project are still running and have found imitators. The customised measures for qualification and coaching have also enabled women to further develop their entrepreneurial skills. In this way, a change towards women’s rights has taken place. Women have become more self-confident, and the level of education has increased. The IMF programme itself therefore has a beacon character.