European Social Innovation Advisory and Funders Network in support of EU Mission Objectives

Project Information

SI-Mission-Facility

Grant agreement ID: 101216478

DOI

10.3030/101216478

EC signature date 28 April 2025

Start date 1 May 2025

End date 30 April 2029

Funded under

• Culture, creativity and inclusive society

Total cost

€ 2 499 522,50

EU contribution

€ 2 499 522,50

Coordinated by

ZENTRUM FUR SOZIALE INNOVATION GMBH
Austria

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - SI-Mission-Facility (European Social Innovation Advisory and Funders Network in support of EU Mission Objectives)

Reporting period: 2025-05-01 to 2026-05-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

The European Union’s five Missions on climate adaptation, cancer, climate-neutral and smart cities, healthy soils, and restoring oceans and waters were created to test a more challenge-oriented approach to research and innovation (R&I). The mission approach recognises that complex societal challenges cannot be addressed through technological development alone: progress also depends on changes in behaviour, social practices, relationships, organisations, institutions and governance. Yet the specific role of social innovation within the Missions, and the conditions under which it can contribute effectively, have received much less systematic attention than technological innovation.
The Social Innovation Mission Facility (SIMF) addresses this gap. Over four years, it provides a European platform for understanding, supporting and connecting social innovation in relation to the EU Missions. SIMF examines where social innovation is already present in Mission activities, whether explicitly recognised or not, how it contributes to Mission objectives, and how policy and funding can make better use of it. Social innovation is understood as new practices, social relations, forms of organisation and institutional arrangements that address societal challenges in new ways.
SIMF combines research and policy learning with practical support. It connects Mission actors and policymakers with social innovators, social entrepreneurs, support organisations, public and private funders, investors and researchers. It also seeks to widen the financing base for mission-oriented social innovation by linking public funding with philanthropy, impact investment and other private finance from experimentation to scaling.
The expected impact is a more comprehensive understanding of innovation in the EU Missions and future mission-oriented approaches, in which social and technological innovation are considered together. SIMF aims to establish social innovation more firmly as a recognised component of mission-oriented research and innovation policy and to equip policymakers, funders and practitioners with evidence, tools, networks and guidance. Social sciences and humanities (SSH) are central to this work because they provide concepts and methods for analysing social practices, behaviour, institutions, governance, participation and societal transformation.

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 first phase concentrated on establishing the evidence base, support structures and networks needed for the Facility’s subsequent work, while already delivering substantial results.
SIMF first developed a conceptual and empirical basis for understanding social innovation in relation to the five EU Missions. Scientific and policy literature, Horizon Europe Mission projects and four established social innovation databases were reviewed. This produced a definition of social innovation in the missions and a structured overview of how it is already used in and around them. A review of 280 Mission-funded projects found that only 11 explicitly referred to social innovation in their objectives or keywords, while further analysis identified socially innovative practices in projects that did not use the term. The work also identified examples outside Horizon Europe that could contribute to Mission objectives. Building on this foundation, work on social innovation impact pathways was initiated and informed through 20 interviews with Mission secretariats and other policy, research and practitioner actors and a policy workshop with 35 participants.
SIMF also launched the first phase of its Training and Scaling Lab. A practical toolkit was developed for Business Support Organisations and Social Innovation Support Organisations, covering systems thinking, scouting and selection, support programme design, facilitation, impact measurement, scaling, funding readiness and ecosystem building. Six online training webinars were delivered. From 100 applicants, 43 support organisations from 26 countries were selected and trained, exceeding the initial target of 30 organisations from 20 countries. Participant feedback indicated increased understanding of social innovation and mission-oriented approaches.
A third strand established the Social Innovation Funders and Investors Network. More than 110 funders, investors and intermediaries were mapped and more than 50 bilateral exchanges were held to understand financing needs, barriers and opportunities for mission-oriented social innovation. The first convening brought together 25 participants, and 20 organisations signed a Joint Declaration of Intent by the end of the reporting period. This provides a basis for continued peer exchange and for exploring new public-private financing approaches aligned with the EU Missions.

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)

SIMF has begun to address a gap between the growing use of mission-oriented innovation policy and the still limited understanding of social innovation within it. Its first results move beyond treating social innovation mainly as stakeholder engagement or a means of supporting the uptake of technological solutions. The project provides a basis for analysing social innovation as an innovation mode in its own right, centred on changes in practices, relationships, organisational forms and institutions and on how these interact with technological, economic and environmental developments.
The project also connects communities that are often addressed separately. It brings R&I policy into direct exchange with social innovation practice, social entrepreneurship, support organisations, public funding, philanthropy and impact investment. The Training and Scaling Lab translates mission-oriented policy into practical tools for organisations supporting innovators, while the Funders and Investors Network begins to address the financing gap between early experimentation, public grant support and longer-term scaling. The aim is to enable social innovations to access combinations of public and private finance appropriate to different stages of development.
Further uptake will depend on continued testing with social innovators and support organisations, sustained engagement of public and private funders, stronger links between Mission policy, implementation and financing, and translation of emerging evidence into practical guidance. The next project stages will connect these strands more closely through scaling activities, investment work, policy learning and a Community of Practice.