Participatory Open Social Innovation Through Interlinking Valuable Ecosystems

Project Information

POSITIVE

Grant agreement ID: 101096390

DOI

10.3030/101096390

Project closed

EC signature date 23 November 2022

Start date 1 February 2023

End date 30 November 2024

Funded under

• European innovation ecosystems

Total cost

No data

EU contribution

€ 499 982,81

Coordinated by

STEINBEIS 2I GMBH
Germany

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - POSITIVE (Participatory Open Social Innovation Through Interlinking Valuable Ecosystems)

Reporting period: 2024-02-01 to 2024-11-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Social innovation (SI) actors play a key role in addressing societal challenges. However, many social enterprises (SE) lack entrepreneurial skills and digitization of their products or services, and there is insufficient support due to a lack of understanding from business support organizations about the specific needs of social entrepreneurs.

The SI and tech innovation ecosystems are currently not well interconnected and often seen as separate, with different skill sets. The POSITIVE project seeks to bridge this gap by raising awareness of social innovation benefits and providing capacity-building for tech innovation actors, creating better support for social entrepreneurs and fostering a more inclusive ecosystem.

Furthermore, the POSITIVE project aims to help social entrepreneurs digitize their products and services and gain business skills through the POSITIVE Impact Challenge, held in Germany, Italy and Lithuania. This challenge engages SI actors in co-design and open innovation with young innovators, researchers and end users, increasing innovation capacity. By learning to engage in open innovation, SI actors will be better prepared to access funding schemes typically aimed at start-ups, SMEs and researchers.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

The second phase of the project focused on knowledge transfer and diffusion, Open Innovation challenges (POSITIVE Impact Challenge), as well as on capitalisation and communication & dissemination activities. Key actions and achievements include:
• Implementation of 3 POSITIVE Impact Challenges (WP3): Successful completion in 3 countries with 176 participants, including solvers, mentors, testers, jury members, and social entrepreneurs.
• Gathering final results from the POSITIVE Impact Challenges (WP3): 16 innovation inputs (including service blueprints, click dummies, user personas and scenarios) and 16 factsheets developed.
• Implementation of 3 Regional Networking Workshops (WP4): Successful organisation in 3 countries with 56 participants.
• Implementation of the virtual pan-European Follow-Up Event (WP4): Successful organisation and two additional workshops with 99 social entrepreneurs gaining new skills.
• Development of a comprehensive POSITIVE Impact Challenge Toolkit (WP4): Development and dissemination of the POSITIVE Impact Challenge Playbook, including policy recommendations on supporting social entrepreneurship and step-by-step guidance for designing and implementing similar challenges.
• Implementation of the POSITIVE Final Capitalization Event in frame of the Social Enterprise and Innovation Forum 2024 in Vilnius, Lithuania (WP4): Successful organisation reaching 112 participants.

POSITIVE has reached the following outcomes:
• Strengthened links between social and tech innovation ecosystems in 3 countries, enhancing collaboration, knowledge transfer, and digital skills for social entrepreneurs.
• Over 60 tech ecosystem stakeholders trained in social innovation, improving support for social entrepreneurs.
• Increased awareness of social entrepreneurship among over 100 stakeholders, including tech ecosystem members and public authorities.
• Over 100 social entrepreneurs gained new business skills and access to financing through the 3 POSITIVE Impact Challenges, 3 Regional Networking Workshops, 2 additional workshops and the International Follow-Up Event.
• 16 social enterprises (seekers) cooperated with 84 students (solvers) to develop digital solutions for the SE challenges, creating 16 innovation inputs documented in Social Innovators factsheets.
• Over 100 stakeholders learned the methodology of the Open Innovation Challenge, with the POSITIVE Impact Challenge Playbook shared at the final event and widely spread through further dissemination activities.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The following results have been achieved through the project implementation:
• Enhancement of the Open Innovation Challenge concept with social innovation elements.
• Three Open Innovation Challenges organized across 3 countries, involving 16 social enterprises (SEEKERS) and 84 students (SOLVERS), with a total of 176 participants, including solvers, mentors, testers, jury members, and social entrepreneurs.
• 16 innovation inputs (including service blueprints, click dummies, user personas and scenarios) and 16 factsheets about social entrepreneurs and their social innovations produced.
• POSITIVE virtual pan-European Follow-Up Event organized with participation of 64 project stakeholders. Organisation of 2 additional workshops for improving digital skills of social entrepreneurs enabled outreach to almost 100 SEs in three partner countries.
• Development of the Open Innovation Challenge toolkit, the POSITIVE Impact Challenge Playbook, including policy recommendations on supporting social entrepreneurship and step-by-step guidance for designing and implementing similar challenges.
• Capitalization event organized, gathering 112 international on-site participants: Lithuanian social enterprises, national and international representatives of the tech sector, Lithuanian and international NGOs/SESOs, representatives of the public sector (representatives of ministries, municipalities, parliamentarians, local action groups, embassy and European representatives) and universities.

POSITIVE Final Consortium meeting, 10.09.2024, Vilnius, Lithuania

POSITIVE Final Capitalisation Event, 09.09.2024, Vilnius, Lithuania

POSITIVE Consortium at the Kick-off Meeting, 14.02.2023, Freiburg, Germany