Outputs & Results
From the MERSE programme.
Outputs & Results
Here you can find the ongoing results of the programme and look through materials that we have produced such as Best Practice Examples and reports.
The Impact Measurement and Communication Tool
During the MERSE project, we developed a tool for small rural social enterprises and communities to measure, assess and communicate their impact and value. The tool is free to use and below this section you find instructions on how to use the tool.
Go to The Impact Measurement and Communication Tool
Instructions: How to use the tool
RuralSE: A Handbook for Rural Social Entrepreneurs
Within MERSE we created a digital handbook to make it easier to start and develop rural social enterprises. On the website you'll find useful resources like Social Business Tools, Policy Recommendations, Research on Rural Social Entrepreneurship and more. RuralSE is hosted by a MERSE project partner, KBT Vocational College in Norway.
Go to RuralSEPolicy Recommendations
These are the Key Policy Recommendations based on the findings of the MERSE project, which examined how to strengthen operating conditions of rural social enterprises in Northern Europe. The recommendations draw on a literature analysis, surveys and discussions with social entrepreneurs and stakeholders in Finland, Ireland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden.
Go to Policy Recommendations
Reports and Papers
How do, for example, the conditions for Social Enterprises look like across the Northern Periphery and the Arctic Region region and what are the differences and similarities? Below you can access and discover reports and papers produced within the MERSE project. Learn more about Social Enterprises in the NPA region.
Report: Transnational Knowledge Report
Transnational Knowledge Report of the Conditions for Rural Social Enterprises in the NPA Region of 2025. Comparison between Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Norway and Sweden.Report: Business Models for Rural Social Enterprises
Rural social enterprises fill local service and development gaps and this report shows how tailored business models can strengthen their balance between social value and financial sustainability.Communication Models for Social Enterprises
Social Value Measurement and Communication Tool: A Communication Model for Social Enterprises.Reseach article: Dalborg, C. (2026). To measure the immeasurable – or communicate the measurable? Social Enterprise Journal.
Study paper: Municipality-Community Collaboration in Rural Areas. Insights from the NPA Region in the MERSE Project
Municipalities, social enterprises and communities in the NPA region collaborate in various forms to meet rural needs, and the report analyses the structures, roles and conditions that enable effective cooperation.
Study paper: Best Practice Examples in Rural NPA Areas
What are the biggest challenges for rural social enterprises and what are their top tips for success? Read about Best Practice Examples and learn more about how social enterprises run their businesses in Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Norway and Sweden. You will learn about what kind of support has been important to them and in which areas they feel they need more support.Study paper: What do we know about Social Entrepreneurship in Rural Areas?
A literature review of previous research in Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Norway and Sweden.Peer-to-Peer Learning Concept for Rural Social Enterprises
A concept enabling social entrepreneurs to develop through shared reflection, real cases and mutual support. A structure for experience‑based learning that strengthens confidence, reduces isolation and supports more effective action in rural social enterprise development.
Best Practice Examples
What are the biggest challenges for rural social enterprises and what are their top tips for success? Below you can read Best Practice Examples and learn more about how some social enterprises run their businesses, what kind of support has been important to them and in which areas they feel they need more support.
Made in Medelpad
Made in Medelpad’s social mission is to empower local rural artisans by providing a platform to sell their crafts, fostering sustainable entrepreneurship, and promoting Medelpad’s cultural heritage.
Read more about Made in Medelpad here
Edsele Interest Association
Edsele Interest Association’s mission is to promote and develop the local business, culture, and environment through inclusive leadership, local cooperation, and innovation.
Read more about Edsele Interest Association hereFSMH Fjällsjö
RSMH Fjällsjö is a co-operative that promotes social and mental health by creating jobs and including people in the local community.
Read more about RSMH Fjällsjö here
Djupvik central station
Djupvik central station’s social mission is to establish a meeting place for the local community, with activities and a social sustainable population, to achieve synergies between the different organizations and businesses and to help people in all ways so they want to live and stay in Djupvik.
Read more about Djupvik central station hereEikra Activity Ltd
Eikra Activity is a social enterprise that provides training and employment-oriented programs aimed at people with reduced work capacity and those at risk of prolonged social exclusion, especially youth and non-native speakers.
Read more about Eikra Activity Ltd here
Hysnes Neighbourhood central
The mission of Hysnes Neighbourhood central is to establish a meeting place for the local community with activities and contribute to a social sustainable population. Its is also to achieve synergies between the different organizations as well as to facilitate organizations.
Read more about Hysnes Neighbourhood central hereMaurtuva Growth Farm
Maurtuva Growth Farm is a social entrepreneur that primarily works in the field of dementia, but also offers an alternative learning arena for school students. Our partners are the public sector and we work with the municipalities' health and care units and schools. Our vision is to contribute to dignified and recognized lives for our participants at the farm.
Read more about Maurtuva Growth Farm here
Museum of Icelandic Sorcery and Witchcraft
The museum is a cultural and educational institution which main aim is to collect information and support research about history of witchcraft and folklore in Iceland and share this information with the exhibition, publishing, lectures and through cooperations with other institutes.
Read more about Museum of Icelandic Sorcery and Witchcraft hereNetagerðin creative workshops
Netagerðin's mission is to provide a collaborative space where artists and designers can gather to share ideas, develop their projects, and bring their visions to fruition. It strives to be a cultural and artistic center in the community, promoting creativity and teamwork.
Read more about Netagerðin creative workshops here
Skrida publishing house and print workshop
One of Skrida publishing house and print workshop's social mission is to enrich the conversation and interest in literature in the countryside, and to be an open space for everyone who wants to create and are interested in arts and bookmaking. Another social missions is to make bookmaking sustainable, by making all the books in the hometown instead of printing it somewhere else, and to recycle and reuse all paper leftovers for something new.
Read more about Skrida publishing house and print workshop hereMacDara Co-operative
The mission of MacDara Co-operative is to develop economic, social and cultural conditions in Carraroe, Ireland. Take a look at the film below to learn more about them through an interview with Séan Ó Domhnaill.
MacDara Co-operative
The Aran Islands Co-op Recycling Project (Athchursail Árann)
The main objective of The Aran Islands Co-op Recycling Project (Athchursail Árann) is to provide a waste management and recycling service to the community of the three Aran Islands.
The Aran Islands Co-op Recycling Project (Athchursail Árann)Comharchumann Forbartha Ionad Deirbhile
The social mission of Comharchumann Forbartha Ionad Deirbhile is to inspire people to visit the area and to showcase it. It is also to provide employment to local people so that they may tell the story to locals and visitors alike.
Comharchumann Forbartha Ionad Deirbhile
Tarjoomo osuuskunta (The Provider Cooperative)
The purpose of Tarjoomo is to support the well-being of elderly people living at home. It was founded as a consequence of an EU funded project, which examined solutions on mismatch of demand and supply of elderly services.
Best Practice TarjoomoOmakylä Vuolenkoski Oy (Own Village Vuolenkoski Ltd.)
The mission of Omakylä Vuolenkoski is to foster community and develop the village by supporting local services and local entrepreneurship, as well as strengthening the share capital of the village's limited company.
Best Practice Omakylä