University-society cooperation has important implications at the level of knowledge development and research, enabling the transfer of innovative practices and methods that address concrete problems for the advancement of society (Shek & Hollister, 2017; Watson et al., 2011). Under this premise, it is possible to consider that many of the challenges facing civil society can be addressed through academic expertise and research, through collaboration between the university and its immediate environment, thereby improving the quality of life of the community itself (Labhrainn & McIlrath, 2007).

In this regard, the links established between the university sphere and society also strengthen community participation in decision-making and project implementation from a more inclusive perspective, responding to real needs and problems from a more democratic approach (McMillan et al., 2016). From a reciprocal perspective, civil society benefits from access to scientific knowledge and highly qualified professionals, while the university gains practical learning opportunities that allow it to get closer to the real world (Asghar & Rowe, 2017). Undoubtedly, such collaboration fosters the development of social capital that strengthens the relationship between academia and socio-community organisations and actors, as they work through mutual commitment to solve social problems and contribute to the sustainable development of the community itself.

The projects resulting from this collaboration facilitate the integration of the university into its community. In this way, the knowledge generated is transferred and the university is promoted as an agent of social change. In this way, through active participation in projects that benefit the community, there is an alignment of values and goals that strengthens the identity and projection of the university as an institution, addressing contemporary challenges and generating a positive long-term impact (McNall et al., 2009).

In particular, joint work between universities and civil society has led to significant advances in rural development. Firstly, there is applied research on specific challenges related to environmentally sustainable practices, natural resource management, technologies in the rural environment, etc. (Taibo, 2020; Turiel, 2020). There is also the transfer of specialised knowledge to civil society through technical training, the implementation of different sustainable practices or the development of rural entrepreneurship, thus boosting the economy of different areas (Bisquert & Cartea, 2020; Porto et al., 2022).

Similarly, work to strengthen community participation in decision-making and project design in response to social problems has contributed to a more inclusive and responsive approach to local needs and aspirations (e.g. through the creation of networks and partnerships that have broadened the impact of such initiatives).

With this last issue in mind, we present a participatory action research project, funded by the Galician Agency for Rural Development (2023-CP028), which has developed from various collaborative teaching and research activities between the University and socio-educational agents in rural areas, with the aim of contributing to a greater democratization of knowledge in the Autonomous Community of Galicia (Spain). All this has been done through the design of joint publications, training activities for teachers and professionals working in rural areas, the application of innovative methodologies such as service learning, as well as the planning of different institutional meetings involving teachers, students, socio-community organisations and professionals from the public administration.

This is a qualitative study based on a participatory action research approach carried out in the Autonomous Community of Galicia (Spain) in 2023. It involved active collaboration between the university, the community, and the public administration with the aim of creating a space for dialogue that would promote the democratization of knowledge about socio-educational development in rural areas. As a starting point, a joint analysis was carried out between the university and the community, with the participation of various lecturers from the University of Santiago de Compostela and professionals from different socio-community organisations in the area. All of them are members of the Community of Action and Knowledge of the Rural Environment (ComAK). Following a participatory needs assessment, ComAK proposed various intervention strategies and activities with the aim of creating a space for dialogue that would allow reflection on the problems identified to define different courses of action for the sustainable development of the rural environment: • Service-learning projects involving teachers, students and social organisations, combining academic content with community service. It has been a useful practice in that it represents a way of organising formal education together with community participation, helping to transform the immediate environment while breaking down the walls of the classroom. In this collaboration, the people who make up the organisations working in the area, together with those from the academic system, have had the opportunity to discuss the future of education and social participation in terms of sustainable development. • Meeting of the ComAK in which students, teachers, rural groups and professionals from the public administration participated, with the objectives of linking formal learning with different projects for the revitalization of the environment, putting into value and practice the knowledge of the community to improve the rural context, establishing synergies and channels of collaboration between different agents, and exploring future lines of intervention around the sustainable development of the rural environment. • Publication of a study collecting different experiences and good practices carried out by university teachers and students in the form of service learning, as well as community development projects resulting from the activities of socio-educational organisations. The participatory action-research carried out between the university and the social sector, whose axis of action was a greater promotion of the rural environment, has meant a dynamic process that has made it possible to propose more effective and sustainable solutions to the needs and problems of rural communities.

The main conclusions to be drawn from the activities carried out include, firstly, the strengthening of the network between teachers, students and rural agents, i.e. between academia and society. This clearly implies a change in the current idea of cooperation for development, defining precisely what kind of development is desirable for rural communities, as well as the most operational way to create alliances between the university, public administration and socio-community organisations. In this line, work has been carried out on the causes that have historically led to the impoverishment of the rural environment and the identification of possible solutions, such as the need for an economy based on knowledge of the environment, the promotion of innovation in the rural environment (for example, through greater technological development), the promotion of greater university involvement in the implementation of social projects, changing the perception of the rural context as an area lacking in opportunities, making visible the actions of the organisations and associations working in these communities, involving the public administration in the implementation of specific funding lines, revitalizing the district organisations as centers of social and cultural development, promoting the repopulation of rural areas from a responsible point of view, and proposing eco-feminist proposals that critically analyze rural lifestyles, valorization of the initiatives carried out in the territory by mapping them, appropriate prioritization of the needs specifically related to the environment, identification of integrated actors in each context to create inter-territorial networks, design of a specific approach to promote the productive sector of each region or the union of professionals fighting for a better education system, more committed to the opportunities and problems of the rural environment.

Asghar, M., & Rowe, N. (2017). Reciprocity and critical reflection as the key to social justice in service learning: A case study. Innovations in Education and Teaching International, 54(2), 117-125. https://doi.org/10.1080/14703297.2016.1273788 Bisquert i Pérez, K. M., y Cartea, P. Á. M. (2020). Iniciativas colectivas de consumo ecolóxico en Galicia: panorama actual, modelos e acción socioeducativa. Brazilian Journal of Agroecology and Sustainability, 2(1), 1-21. https://doi.org/10.52719/bjas.v2i2.3709 Coelho, M., & Menezes, I. (2021). University Social Responsibility, Service Learning, and Students' Personal, Professional, and Civic Education. Frontiers in Psychology, 12(617300), 1-16. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.617300 Labhrainn, I. M., & McIlrath, L. (2007). Higher Education and Civic Engagement: International Perspectives. Routledge. McMillan, J., Goodman, S., & Schmid, B. (2016). Illuminating “transaction spaces” in higher education: University–community partnerships and brokering as “boundary work”. Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement, 20(3), 8-31. McNall, M., Sturdevant, C., Brown, R., & Allen, A. (2009). Brokering Community–University Engagement. Innovative Higher Education, 33, 317-331. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10755-008-9086-8 Porto, A. M., Mosteiro M. J., Baylina, M., & Villarino, M. (2022). Género y emprendimiento rural. claves para la orientación profesional. Revista Española de Orientación y Psicopedagogía, 33(3), 7-21. Shek, D. T. L., & Hollister, R. M. (2017). University Social Responsibility and Quality of Life. A Global Survey of Concepts and Experiences. Springer. Taibo, C. (2020). Colapso: capitalismo terminal, transición ecosocial, ecofascismo. Los libros de la Catarata. Turiel, A. (2020). El debate renovable. Soberanía Alimentaria, Biodiversidad y Culturas, 41, 6-10. Watson, D., Hollister, R., Stroud, S. E., & Babcock, E. (2011). The Engaged University. International Perspectives on Civic Engagement. Routledge.