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SYFERS is an open framework for working and learning in regenerative communities and cooperatives. It connects shared decisions, people's involvement, records of practice, economic continuity and learning from change. Agreements disappear into chats, knowledge rests with a few people and newcomers miss the context. SYFERS helps you retain what you do together, why you make decisions and what you learn. This makes it easier to carry the work forward and pass useful experience on to others.
When you work together, you want to know what was agreed, why a decision was made and what happened afterwards. Partners and funders may also ask for plans, budgets and results. Good records help answer those questions.
SYFERS is an open framework for working and learning in regenerative communities and cooperatives. It connects shared decisions, people's involvement, records of practice, economic continuity and learning from change.
Work together → record → reflect → improve → share.
What is recorded internally and what can be shared publicly require separate choices. The Charter puts openness at its heart while setting limits on publishing personal and sensitive information. A useful dossier begins with careful work. Check which documents a funder requires for each application. Record-keeping alone does not prove results or eligibility.
§ 02, Digital support
Cooperation, record-keeping and learning start with practice. Choose the instrument that helps; access, features and sharing agreements differ between instruments.
Shared practice
Keep what you do, decide and learn together within reach.
Record activities, proposals and decisions, with the reasons and considerations behind them. Help others understand how the work develops.
Contact and involvement
Stay in touch on terms people choose for themselves.
Keep relationships, contact preferences and follow-up together. People can manage their own details and preferences; being a contact does not automatically mean consenting to a newsletter.
Funding and accountability
From funding opportunity to a report you can substantiate.
Explore funding opportunities, record your shared assessment and develop an application with traceable reporting. A promising opportunity still needs its own assessment and decision.
Shared self-reflection
See what sustains your cooperation and what needs attention.
Discuss your own practice through sixteen conditions and follow changes from your own starting point. The reflection guides learning and does not award certification.
Shared organisational memory
Find what your organisation knows and understand its sources.
Organise, translate and search documents in a shared archive. Ask questions with the sources alongside, so you can check answers and translations.
Land and living in Portugal
Explore your place. Substantiate your home plan. Follow change.
Save and compare places before buying. Develop housing, water, energy and land restoration in one dossier, with sources, open questions and observations. Individuals can also use it without joining a Lab.
§ 03, From practice to dossier
This overview describes possible support. It does not confirm that a tool meets the requirements of a particular funder.
| Question for your dossier | chart.syfers.eu | lens.syfers.eu |
|---|---|---|
| OpennessWhat can responsibly be shared? | Select relevant records for publication. | Check documents for personal data, sensitivity and usage rights. |
| GovernanceWho decides and why? | Record roles and responsibilities. | Connect proposals, objections, considerations and decisions. |
| ParticipationWho takes part and who is affected? | Record cooperation and activities. | Keep agreements on participation and the use of contributions. |
| EthicsWhat interests and risks are involved? | Record relevant observations. | Make considerations and conflicts of interest open to discussion. |
| ResearchHow was an observation made? | Keep the date, place and method where relevant. | Link protocols, sources and limitations to the finding. |
| TransferabilityWhat can someone else learn from it? | Describe the practice and its circumstances. | Share useful documents with clear context and licensing. |
| ReportingWhat was done and what was learnt? | Summarise activities and available measurements. | Adapt the dossier to the agreements with the partner or funder. |
§ 04, Exploring opportunities
Begin with the work’s purpose and budget. Below are programmes and themes to explore. Calls, target groups, legal conditions and required partners differ. Check the current official scheme before preparing an application.
European · Living Labs & research
Soil health · research framework
Explore whether a current soil health call fits your research aim, location and partners. The name Living Lab does not itself give access to funding.
Food, agriculture and the environment
Research current calls and the required research and consortium partners. A local practice may be relevant when the question and methodology fit.
Sustainability, design and inclusion
Explore programmes that connect these themes. Eligibility depends on the specific call, project and conditions.
Environment and climate
Research current opportunities for environmental and climate projects. Check eligible applicants, co-financing and the evidence required for intended effects.
Responsible research · not a fund
ORRI concerns open and responsible research. Use it as a starting point for methodological questions; it is not a standalone funding scheme.
Agriculture and rural development
Opportunities are offered through national and regional schemes. Check which activities, applicants and investments are covered by the current scheme.
Territorial · Bottom-up
Local development strategy
Discuss your initiative with the relevant local development group. The local strategy and current call determine whether a project may fit.
Regional programmes
Explore current calls for the Algarve. The theme, location, legal form and project stage must meet the specific conditions.
Area development
Research the current regional strategy and available instruments. No confirmed call for cooperative ecological projects is stated here.
Portugal · National
National framework
Portugal 2030 includes several programmes. An application requires a specific scheme with suitable conditions and an open call.
Innovation strategy · not a standalone scheme
A strategy can guide innovation policy. Policy alignment is not a promise of a grant.
Recovery and resilience plan
Check current implementation, deadlines and calls. Earlier schemes are not automatically still accessible.
Specialised programs
Food innovation
Explore current food innovation programmes and participation conditions. A relevant topic is the start of the assessment.
Private finance
Assess any loan in terms of its conditions, costs and your ability to repay. Private finance calls for a different assessment from a grant.
Digital support can make information easier to navigate. Reliability depends on sound observations, substantive assessment and clear agreements.
§ 06, In practice
Illustrative example · not a measured result
A group records a water management decision: the observation, proposal, objections and chosen approach. Later it adds experiences and measurements. This allows the group to revisit its decision, and a partner to understand how it was reached.
§ 07, When you are ready
Tell us what you are working on and what support you need. We will discuss what is available now and what a first step could look like.
You are not signing anything by writing. First we explore what fits.