AIM To contribute to the economic prosperity. sustainability & cultural identity of NWE in increasingly competitive global markets. This will be done by forming & supporting new clusters in the Cultural. Creative. Countryside. Recreation. & Hospitality(CCCRH) sectors using uniqueness of place as a binding force & overcoming barriers to regional & transnational collaboration. THE PROBLEM Globalisation creates homogeneous businesses often unconnected with a region’s locality or cultural identity. A place’s uniqueness is a potential asset for enterprises to develop distinct products & services & to collaborate. Rural areas. in particular. face economic hardship with declining populations & disappearing traditional landscapes. This requires careful economic restructuring to strengthen their economies & protect their landscapes. cultural diversity & traditions. Europe has an important economic & social asset: its rich cultural diversity.Despite the EU breaking down barriers to trade across local. regional & national boundaries. CCCRH enterprises do not work together as effectively as in other parts of the world. In a rural area of South Africa. formerly of low economic diversity. an arts/hospitality trail grew from 10 enterprises collaborating into a thriving consortium of 180 complementary enterprises within 10 years. There is little evidence of such models in Europe. CCCRH enterprises (40-65% of private sector workers) mostly operate independently & in competition to one another. This does not maximise the potential of an area or collective marketing/trade benefits. APPROACH COLLABOR8 will use cultural identity as a powerful device for collaboration across regions & mixed sectors to offer a ‘critical mass’ of products/services. Partners will support consortia to use new technology & sustainability/quality standards to give them leading advantages & link them regionally & transnationally by a common code of practice that contributes to sustainable economic prosperity.