According to Territorial Typologies (OCDE, 2005; UE, 2010) ‘rural territories’ occupy most of the European surface. We are dealing with diverse realities in terms of competitiveness, quality of life, and innovation processes. The search for more smart and inclusive approaches within Europe 2020 and Public Policies with relevant territorial impacts (Common Agricultural Policy and Cohesion Policy) constitutes a priority in the context of current socioeconomic problems such as climatic changes and food security. The centrality of rural territories in this debate raises the importance of their acknowledgement in economic and social terms, as well as the forms of governance regarding the development of innovation. The paper addresses the governance aspects involved in a particular rural territory (Coruche, the so-called World Capital of Cork, a municipality adjacent to Lisbon Metropolitan Area), focusing the production and transformation of a Mediterranean product – cork. The governance of rural territories has been highlighted by rural studies (Cloke & Little, 1990; Goodwin, 1998; Godwin, Jones & Jones, 2006; Winter, 2006; Marsden, 2004; Little et al, 2012). Scholars also stress the interactions between territory and innovation processes (e.g., Maillat, 1997, 1998; Camagni, 1995; Camagni, Maillat, Matteaccioli, 2004) and the relevance of ‘institutional thickness’ (Amin and Thrift, 1994), that is the consideration of rules that inform the relation between territory, economy and society in a particular case. Additionally, recent studies show the relevance of innovation and governance for the development of rural territories (Torre & Wallet, 2013). The worldwide leading of Portugal in cork sector (around 32% of the world’s area of cork woodland or montados; 69% of Coruche’s area is covered by montado) provides an interesting opportunity of research related with the governance of innovation. The research identifies the main actors and their roles in innovation processes through a network analysis. This method allows the identification of the main drivers and centralities in this particular innovation system, including a geographical approach. The research shows that we are dealing with a multi-actor and multi-scale system offering a complex picture of the governance of cork in Coruche. The results raise also future path research and potentialities related with network analysis in governance studies.

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Rural territories, innovation, governance, networks, cork, Coruche.