Positioning Nova SBE as the European Hub in Social Innovation Research through the ERA Chair

Project Information

ERA Chair in Social Innovation

Grant agreement ID: 951735

DOI

10.3030/951735

EC signature date 17 June 2020

Start date 1 September 2020

End date 31 August 2026

Funded under

• Establishing ‚ERA Chairs’

Total cost

€ 2 483 213,75

EU contribution

€ 2 483 213,75

Coordinated by

UNIVERSIDADE NOVA DE LISBOA
Portugal

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - ERA Chair in Social Innovation (Positioning Nova SBE as the European Hub in Social Innovation Research through the ERA Chair)

Reporting period: 2022-03-01 to 2024-05-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

The ERA Chair in Social Innovation is dedicated to exploring how to organize for collaboration to address complex social issues, through research, education, and community engagement. We have shifted our focus from seeking a competitive advantage to fostering a collaborative advantage. This shift is guided by the principles of the UN Sustainable Development Goal 17, emphasizing partnerships to achieve sustainable change. Both practitioners and academics agree on the need to engage diverse groups to generate ideas and create lasting impact, though achieving this can be often challenging.Our research investigates various forms of organizing, including cross-sector collaboration, open social innovation, and co-creation through design. We are examining different organizational structures and approaches to enhance collaboration and innovation in addressing social and environmental issues. In our courses, we emphasize collaboration through open innovation challenges and partnerships with local organizations to develop technology for social good. Our goal is not only to develop practical solutions but also to transform students' mindsets by providing them with the tools and understanding needed to navigate and address complex realities. Additionally, through the DESIS Lab, we extend learning beyond the classroom. We invite students to participate in design jams and engage community members, local residents, experts, and others. These interactions aim to provide tools, initiate conversations, and support innovative ideas. Our overarching objective is to lay the foundation for effective collaboration by building relationships and establishing a shared language and set of tools.

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

Main activities:

a) Recruitment of the ERA Chair holder, Professor Anne-Laure Fayard, the Project Manager, Rita Nascimento, the Community Manager, Beatriz Bento, Professor Paolo Leone, and different Research Associates;
b) Development of a dissemination and communication plan, as well as setup of the communication assets (branding, social media, website, etc.);
c) Definition of a research agenda and strategy, production of different academic outputs, and development of research projects with both national and international researchers and organizations;
d) Setup of DESIS lab at Nova SBE with different initiatives - Social Innovator in Residence, Design Jam, Design Thinking for Social Innovation course, Prototyping Fund, and exhibitions.
e) Organization of different research-related initiatives, such as research seminars, Qualitative Methods Workshop, ROSI group meetings, and participation in national and international academic conferences;
f) Strengthen our network involving the Nova SBE community and external stakeholders from the Social Innovation ecosystem in our activities;
g) Supported the implementation of interdisciplinary research and action-based projects, through funding proposals and new partnerships;
h) Promoted international networking opportunities (ex. International Advisory Board meetings, research seminars with top international researchers, etc.).


Main results:

• 10 Academic Publications (papers in top journals, book chapters), including one of the 10 most-read articles of SSIR 2023;
• 19 Podcast Episodes, nearly 800 followers, and more than 7800 plays across platforms;
• 13 Guests Scholars & Social Innovators;
• Organization of two editions of the Qualitative Methods Workshop, different ROSI group (Open Innovation Research Group) meetings and initiatives, and hosting of Academy of Management Review IDW;
• Development of more than 10 research projects and working papers;
• 2 awards;
• Start of DESIS Lab at Nova SBE and ERA Chair in Social Innovation website launch;
• More than 15 DESIS Lab initiatives for community engagement, with close to 300 participants in total;
• 9 courses for both Master’s and PhD students;
• 415 followers on LinkedIn in the first 6 months (launched on 01/07/2023).

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)

As we are faced with growing social and environmental challenges, the need for innovative and sustainable solutions is pressing. However, ideas never get born fully formed. They start as baby ideas and need to be cultivated to (maybe) grow. Ethymologogically, cultivate means to till, prepare for crops, and more generally to tend, to care. This meaning of cultivate is at the core of our holistic approach, one that goes beyond tools and methods to cultivate a design mindset (that we define as experimental, critical, and action-oriented) and develop a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship.

For example, leveraging its expertise in design thinking, our DESIS (Design for Social Innovation and Sustainability) Lab @ Nova SBE embraces a holistic approach that provides multiple touch points – from 2-hour workshops to one day-long design jams and semester-long or more projects and a podcast – to provide students from Nova SBE with tools to develop meaningful and sustainable solutions and cultivate their design mindset.

The DESIS Lab’s approach is:
· Collaborative: As activators, we cannot do it alone. Therefore, at the heart of all we do is collaboration: with students, other departments, organizations (profit and non-for-profit), local government and the public.
· Inclusive: We focus on our students but many of our activities are also open to our staff and the public as we believe that universities’ outreach should go beyond the traditional realm of the university.
· Reflective: We provide programs that offer students resources, methods and tools, but also time and a safe space to do, reflect, get feedback and iterate.
· Action-oriented: Design thinking is also design doing. We support not only brainstorming but also prototyping and implementation.
· Long-term: As a university, we can leverage a different temporality than traditional incubators and we focus on learning rather than success.

The DESIS Lab’s approach is:
· Collaborative: As activators, we cannot do it alone. Therefore, at the heart of all we do is collaboration: with students, other departments, organizations (profit and non-for-profit), local government and the public.
· Inclusive: We focus on our students but many of our activities are also open to our staff and the public as we believe that universities’ outreach should go beyond the traditional realm of the university.
· Reflective: We provide programs that offer students resources, methods and tools, but also time and a safe space to do, reflect, get feedback and iterate.
· Action-oriented: Design thinking is also design doing. We support not only brainstorming but also prototyping and implementation.
· Long-term: As a university, we can leverage a different temporality than traditional incubators and we focus on learning rather than success.

ERA Chair in Social Innovation branding