The Rural Futures Lab shares the RUPRI Center for Rural Entrepreneurship’s vision for rural America, which is one of vibrant rural communities and regions that embrace entrepreneurship, find new sources of competitive advantage in their inherent assets, and invest in a new more sustainable future for both present and future generations. It is a vision of hope and possibility; it is a vision that values connections between rural places and bridges between the city and the countryside.

The Center’s work is based on three core beliefs:

• Entrepreneurship development is a necessary component of rural economic development – it may be the most promising strategy for rural places.
• Creating an entrepreneurial environment requires culture change – instilling a “growing our own” mentality in rural regions across the country.
• Entrepreneurship development requires a systems approach – a collaborative, often regional approach of “connecting the dots”.