There is increasing interest in social innovation as a means of addressing societal challenges, but considerable variation in the extent to which different countries and regions have embraced it. To address this, the EC funded several research projects, competitions and network-building activities. However, the overall landscape of social innovation support in Europe remained fragmented.
The Social Innovation Community (SIC) project aimed rectify this by strengthening and connecting networks of social innovation actors. It identified eleven ‘networks’ to engage with, some well organised (DSI community) and others newly emerging (community-led social innovation). Through research, experimentation, learning, policy and communications activities, SIC engaged with researchers, social innovators, citizens, policymakers, support organisations and intermediaries, businesses, civil society organisations and public sector employees, helping them to build new connections and strengthen their social innovation practices. In summary, SIC:
• Engaged and connected with diverse social innovation stakeholders to create a truly inclusive social innovation community. SIC’s dissemination channels had substantial reach (1100 newsletter subscribers; 200 000 page views on the website, and over 20000 likes and followers on social media). Over 2000 people engaged in face-to-face events.
• Created a framework for a common understanding of social innovation. SIC’s Research Landscape report analysed past trends, new evidence and emerging methodologies relevant to SIC’s networks, while workshops on ‘hot topics’ and ‘transformative research’ allowed researchers and practitioners to explore emerging themes of interest to the community, such as new economic models and refugee integration.
• Tested new approaches to social innovation. SIC organised five 3-day co-creation events, bringing together public officials, citizens, social innovators, professionals and others to identify local problems and design solutions. Some are now being implemented: the ‘To-Home’ programme in Torino, a new service for families at risk of eviction, is being piloted with ESF funds.
• Promoted social innovation learning among practitioners, policymakers and researchers. SIC held five summer schools in cities across Europe, with over 200 participants, as well as three ‘learning relays’, and set up an online Learning Repository with 60 tools to support social innovation processes.
• Supported policymakers to design policies for social innovation. SIC created the Lisbon Declaration on Social Innovation, with ten policy proposals for the EU and Member States, and input from over 350 people. It was subsequently endorsed by 650 people in 27 EU countries and received public backing from Carlos Moedas, EU Commissioner for Research and Innovation, at Web Summit in Lisbon, November 2018.
• Co‐created a vision and strategy for the social innovation community and devised plans to sustain relationships, products and activities created by the project.
