About SI-DRIVE

In the EU-funded large scale project SI-DRIVE “Social Innovation: Driving Force of Social Change”, 25 project partners have mapped 1.005 initiatives in seven policy fields on all five continents. Results of the comparative analysis give insights into the highly diverse world of social innovation, the variety of actors and their interaction, and the systemic character of the concept. This comparative analysis is an explorative inventory of an empirically under-researched area. It includes social innovations in education and lifelong learning, employment, environment and climate change, energy supply, transport and mobility, health and social care, and poverty reduction and sustainable development. It shows that social innovation has become a ubiquitous concept. The key results of the mapping are available here.

SI-DRIVE Publication

A short brief "Understanding Social Innovation"  by the European Parliament's Research Service is inspired by first results of the SI-DRIVE project: Social innovation has become an important concept in European policy-making, cutting across sectors and disciplines. However, despite the increasingly frequent use of the term there is no consensus as regards its definition. As a result, in part of extensive research work at EU level, it is currently interpreted as a ubiquitous concept that entails new ideas (products, services and models) that simultaneously meet social needs (more effectively than alternatives) and create new social relationships or forms of collaboration.
The concept is strongly related to notions of solutions to satisfy social needs and addresses societal challenges and transformation. European policies promote social innovation in several sectors, such as the single market, employment and social affairs, health, education, energy, environment, and research. Within the EU, numerous policy and financial tools together with the (previous and current) research programme contribute to this process. However, there is still much to be done in terms of finding a comprehensive and well accepted theoretical approach to social innovation, efficient funding and regulatory environments, and also a way to measure its social (added) value. Without these, social innovation runs the risk of becoming an empty buzzword in policy-making.

The Bertha Centre – a specialised centre, at UCT Graduate School of Business (based in Cape Town, South Africa), and partner of SI-DRIVE – in partnership with UCT’s Centre for Innovation in Learning and Teaching and RLabs launched its first free massive open online course (MOOC) earlier this year. The course titled "Becoming a changemaker: Introduction to Social Innovation" is a free six week course, aimed at changemakers and social entrepreneurs and/or innovators who would like to address challenges in their communities. Its unique selling point is that it is also being offered through in-person facilitated classes. To date the course has nearly 5.000 learners enroled, with over 30% of them from the African continent. To enrol and read more on the MOOC click here.
Image description: François Bonnici, Director of the Bertha Centre for Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship based at the University of Cape Town, at the launch of the MOOC.

The SI-DRIVE partner, the University of Deusto investigates the collaborative economy, the circular economy and the notion of the common good as new models of social relationships and doing business, associated with social inclusion.
The model of the collaborative economy is presented as an alternative to both, market capitalism and planned economy; it is focused on serving the general interests, the public good, displacing profit and competition. The traditional ways of sharing, exchanging, lending, renting and gifting are redefined through modern technology and communities, in which access and use have priority over ownership.
Around this concept, the Social Innovation team of the University of Deusto has presented its work in the written media and social networks in recent months. [Read more]

New releases







 

In the course of the XIV. International Triple Helix Conference in Heidelberg (Germany) from 25^th to 27^th September 2016, a panel discussion titled "Social Innovation: On the Roles of Universities" was organised by Doris Schartinger and Matthias Weber from the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology, which is also partner of SI-DRIVE. [Read more]
During the ISPIM Innovation Summit in Kuala Lumpur between 4^th and 7^th December 2016 Peter Oeij (from SI-DRIVE partner organisation TNO) presented a talk about "Workplace innovation as social innovation in European companies".
Jürgen Howaldt and Dmitri Domanski from TU Dortmund University, which is also SI-DRIVE lead partner, were traveling on behalf of Social Innovation across Latin America. The following contributions offer detailed information:

• Discussion about Social Innovation and Industry 4.0 in Brazil 
• German-Brazilian workshop: Social Innovation and its research
• TU Dortmund University at social innovation events in Colombia

Event review

You are invited to read and comment the posts published here:
Theory Building Forum, Policy Field Platforms. 
Moreover you might be interested in the new monthly spotlight with focus on sustainable innovation. 

www.si-drive.eu

The SI-DRIVE team at ZSI wishes you all the best for the Holiday Season. Have a relaxing break and a prosperous New Year!

Season's Greatings

13^th SI-DRIVE Newsletter