Southern Europe
Future trends for innovative cities
One of the reasons why I decided to run for Mayor was to pursue social innovation. Seoul has a population of 10 million, it’s a big metropolitan city and changing the lives of Seoul citizens is only possible not in front of a desk, but within the lives of the citizens. I am moving the Mayor’s ... Future trends for innovative cities
Snakes and ladders in participation
As cities grow in size and significance, they can become sites of complex social problems – but also hubs for exploring possible solutions. While every city faces distinct problems, they all share a need for innovative approaches to tackle today’s challenges. This essay is one in a series on future trends for innovative cities, written by the leading thinkers of the Mayor of Seoul’s ... Snakes and ladders in participation
What is corporate social innovation?
Corporate social innovation (CSI) describes corporations who integrate social innovation into their corporate activities. Although a relatively new term, shared value companies are not new, although the recent influx in CSI is a sign of the growing strength of this field. Corporations play a significant opportunity in 2018 and the next decade to be part ... What is corporate social innovation?
25 companies carrying out corporate social innovation
Between the 2017 Paradise Papers scandal, the globally contested multi-billion merger between a large pharmaceutical and an agrochemical company, incidents of day-to-day disrespect of employees, protests over excessive pay and a leading car company’s fraudulent emission scandal, the air surrounding global corporations feels somewhat heavy. For the 17th consecutive year, the Edelman Trust Barometer recently surveyed tens ... 25 companies carrying out corporate social innovation
Highlights 2017 – How has social innovation shifted and how has SIX contributed?
The dogmas of the quiet past, are inadequate to the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise — with the occasion. As our case is new, so we must think anew, and act anew. Abraham Lincoln It’s been another eventful year at SIX, with a growing team, activities and ... Highlights 2017 – How has social innovation shifted and how has SIX contributed?
Report: Five ways universities are organising themselves to increase societal impact
Introduction – What are universities for? For many, universities and higher educational institutions continue to be viewed as elitist and isolated institutions, with little connection to the society, communities and organisations around them. Indeed, universities are large, bureaucratic organisations, and many still operate in this stereotyped ‘traditional’ way. However, at a time when the challenges ... Report: Five ways universities are organising themselves to increase societal impact
Labs for Social Innovation
SIX worked with the ESADE Institute for Social Innovation to co-facilitate a Lab on Labs for Social Innovation in Barcelona in June 2017. This workshop was part of a project carried out by the Institute and was supported by the Robert Bosch Foundation and BBVA, and aimed to provide meaningful insights into how to best address the complex societal ... Labs for Social Innovation
Building social innovation in post-conflict places
As part of the SIX series exploring social innovation in post conflict places, Eddy Adams, SIX Adviser, spoke with Gorka Espiau. Hailing from the Basque country, Gorka was actively involved in the peace process there, and has subsequently been involved in social innovation work across the globe. This includes experience in Colombia and Croatia, which ... Building social innovation in post-conflict places
Regions are from Mars, Cities are from Venus
Written by Peter Ramsden, Freiss ltd in July 2016 Can social innovation ecosystems overlap with those for technological innovation? Where are the connections? Why is the uptake of European Structural Funds in support of social innovation so slow in the 2014-20 period? Where are the new opportunities? I can’t be the only person to think that ... Regions are from Mars, Cities are from Venus
SIX Series: Exploring social innovation in post-conflict societies
What behaviours and attitudes contribute to an effective social innovation culture? A few months ago SIX co-hosted an SIE event with the BMW Foundation to consider this question. “Transparency” Trust” and “Openness” were frequently recurring words in the discussion. This endorsed much of the established evidence about the importance of a collaborative approach to stimulate innovation. But ... SIX Series: Exploring social innovation in post-conflict societies
Innovation, integration and the migrant crisis – insights from European innovation
The unprecedented flows of migrants approaching Europe was (and still is) confronting the European Union and its Member States with a series of complex challenges. It raises fundamental questions about the social and cultural fabric of European societies. Ingenuity, vision, as well as political will and an efficient use of resources are required if we ... Innovation, integration and the migrant crisis – insights from European innovation
Social Innovation in the Basque Country
Building on Social Innovation Europe (SIE)’s country profiles which demonstrate a variety of views on what social innovation means to different kinds of organisations in a particular country, SIE also looking at how social innovation is carried out in different regions across Europe. SIE recently interviewed Innobasque to learn more about social innovation in the Basque Country. The following interview builds on Innobasque’s contribution to the country ... Social Innovation in the Basque Country
Options Foodlab: How food making and sharing is supporting migrant integration in Greece
Eddy Adams of SIX met Penny Travlou at the Unusual Suspects Festival in Glasgow, where she spoke passionately about the work she’s been involved in with refugees in Greece. As part of Social Innovation Europe’s Beyond Crisis Collection, Eddy interviewed Penny to learn more about this work of using food making and sharing to support migrant integration in Greece. To get us started, can you tell us ... Options Foodlab: How food making and sharing is supporting migrant integration in Greece
Designing Social Innovation Labs: ESADE, Spain
Background Based in Barcelona, Spain, ESADE is one of the world’s top business schools. ESADE’s Institute of Social Innovation want to set up a lab for social innovation. Over the past decade, there has been a surge in the number of social innovation labs globally. Some of them are connected to the public sector, others ... Designing Social Innovation Labs: ESADE, Spain
Athens: Social Unity Through Urban Crisis
This Article is written by Zoe Spiliopoulou as part of the Social Life of Cities Series for Urban Times. For the past five years austerity measures have taken a heavy toll on everyday life in Greece. Despite this, as a Greek citizen, I feel that Greeks have strong social bonds and networks that are closely linked ... Athens: Social Unity Through Urban Crisis
Remembering Diogo Vasconcelos
Today would have been Diogo Vasconcelos’s birthday. Our present to him is our commitment to social innovation, and our official announcement that SIX will become an independent entity this year. A thriving independent SIX was something Diogo felt strongly about, and something he has helped us to achieve. Over the last year we have made significant progress ... Remembering Diogo Vasconcelos
Small is powerful
The Basque region is the proposed setting for the world’s first ‘social Silicon Valley’. Alison Benjamin meets two Spaniards intent on creating a post-industrial revolution High in the hills of Spain’s Basque region, an experiment is taking place that could determine how we tackle social problems in the future. At a time when governments, economists ... Small is powerful