The Management Council of the project is made up of Hilary Tovey (Ireland), Karl Bruckmeier (Sweden), Imre Kovach (Hungary) and Javier Esparcier (Spain). Hilary Tovey takes responsibility as overall co-ordinator of the project. All four have an extensive record of publications and of participation in transnational and national research programs, and have worked collaboratively on a number of previous occasions, most recently in preparing the Final Statement of the COST A12 network on Rural Innovation (1998-2002) for its concluding conference in Budapest in March 2002. The management council is supplemented by a steering committee which includes the Management Council and the co-ordinators of the work packages among the country team leaders. Such a large governing team is considered necessary given the size and complexity of the project.  Its function is (1) to co-ordinate the scientific research with regard to synthesising knowledge, integrating case-study methodologies and ensuring thematic focus, and (2) to synchronise and monitor the work and time planning of the partners, and co-ordinate outputs.

Each member of the Management Council will be Regional Co-ordinator for the participating countries in his region:  Hilary Tovey takes responsibility for the West (Ireland, Portugal, Scotland);  Imre Kovach for the East (Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic); Javier Esparcia for the South (Italy, Greece, Spain);  Karl Bruckmeier for the North (Sweden, Norway, the former East Germany).