While still analysing our fascinating quantitative and qualitative data – from a large questionnaire survey in 2019/2020 (n=3,166), qualitative interviews in 2021 (n=145) and six focus groups in 2022 –, the STAYin(g)Rural team is slowly facing the end of the project period. By 31 December 2022, the collaboration of the three partners will formally come to an end. Our work on joint journal papers, the preparation of an international stakeholder workshop in December as well as session and paper plans for the 3^rd Rural Geographies conference in Groningen in June 2023 were the focus of our last project meeting at the Thünen Institute in Braunschweig. Once again, we also used the opportunity to jointly explore our German study region in the Südharz and to meet local stakeholders.