Social innovation ecosystem update – April 2026
It's been a little quiet from us lately - but this edition more than makes up for it. Here's what's inside.
- Articles April 17, 2026
It's been a little quiet from us lately - but this edition more than makes up for it. Here's what's inside.
Event starts on 11 May 2026
Join leading funders and investors from across Europe for a convening hosted by the Social Innovation Mission Facility bringing together key actors to explore how private and public capital can be catalytically combined to drive mission-oriented social innovation at scale.
Date 11 May 2026
Time 17:30
Location Brussels
After 13 years of operating as an independent organisation, 2025 has been the most eventful year for SIX. Below are 6 highlights of the year (not in chronological order). 1. Adapting to the moment and innovating our model We’ve always constantly adapted our programming to respond to global events, new challenges and emerging trends, be ... Meeting the moment: How we adapted SIX in a changing world
By Louise Pulford
January 22, 2026I began my work at the Hope Institute just when the concept of social innovation was introduced in South Korea. I have closely observed and at times, actively participated in the growth of the social innovation ecosystem in Korea and around the world. Currently, I am a member of C.dot which transitioned into a workers’ ... Between crisis and renewal: Reimagining social innovation in South Korea
By Sunkyung Han
January 12, 2026On 9-10 October 2025, we gathered 18 friends of SIX for a roundtable discussion on the role of social innovation in the world today. We wanted to understand how other organisations from different sectors in Europe are navigating this challenging moment and how they are responding. By understanding where the gaps are, we can direct ... Social innovation in a changing world – EdelGive with SIX Roundtable Discussion
By Louise Pulford and So Jung Rim
November 10, 2025This is an interview with our long-time friend and collaborator, Kuba Wygnański, President of the Shipyard Foundation based in Poland. Kuba reflects on what social innovation means in the current geopolitical context, what he is seeing on the ground in Poland and the region, and where he finds energy and hope for the future.
By Kuba Wygnański
October 20, 2025Social innovations on the rise Social Innovation has increasingly been attracting attention in recent years. As a novel approach to address complex global problems of health, social care, education, energy, and environmental policies, it has been embraced by stakeholders and communities on the local, regional, and national level. As the Atlas of Social Innovation has ... Social innovation – a powerful approach to address the grand societal challenges
By Prof. Dr. Jürgen Howaldt
October 8, 2025This report summary is a snapshot-in-time of the start-up of one country’s experiment in mission innovation, mission government and moonshot philanthropy. Hopefully there are takeaways from the UK’s experience that could inform Canada’s approach for adopting intentional societal innovation more successfully and systematically. The report was commissioned by Prof. Sandra Lapointe. In July 2024 the ... Mission Innovation and Moonshot Philanthropy in the UK: Becoming The Experimenting Society
By Tim Draimin and Geraldine Cahill
October 8, 2025If I had to pick just one thing that makes social innovation work, it would be collaboration. And if I had to pick just one thing that Canada does particularly well?Well, it’s collaboration—our small population in a huge country, we have had to work together because, let’s be honest, we’re really nice. The world loves ... Why Being Nice is Canada’s Social Innovation Superpower
By Andrea Nemtin
October 6, 2025Kristin Wolff, a long-time friend of SIX, reflects on her experiences at SIX gatherings.
By Kristin Wolff
October 6, 2025Geoff Mulgan, founder of SIX, reflects on SIX’s 15-year history, highlighting both the setbacks and promise of social innovation in a turbulent world.
By Geoff Mulgan
October 2, 2025Author Charlie Leadbeater summed up the London SIX Wayfinder 2017 with six things that social innovation can offer to the future.
By Charlie Leadbeater
October 2, 2025I’ve been working the development field for thirty years and one of the first lessons I learned when still a trainee at the W.K.Kellogg Foundation, was the need for innovation to solve longstanding ‘social problems’. Be they in education, health, rural development, philanthropy & volunteerism – the main programme areas in the 1990s in Latin ... A reflection on social innovation from Brazil
By Carla Duprat
October 1, 2025Martin Stewart-Weeks (Founder and Principal, Public Purpose) reflects on social innovation and why it matters.
By Martin Stewart-Weeks
October 1, 2025I still remember the excitement in the air, as we sat around the large official dinner tables in the impressive conference hall in Beijing back in the late fall of 2006. Present were some of the people I respected most highly when it came to social change, democracy innovation and the respect for not only ... We dared to imagine
By Uffe Elbaek
October 1, 2025Event has ended.
We are hosting a special drinks reception in London on 9th October to mark the launch of our new collaborative organisation, ‘EdelGive with SIX’. We all recognise that our biggest challenges can not be fixed with old models, old ideas or by one sector alone. And in the uncertain and unfamiliar time, this is even ... ‘EdelGive with SIX’ launch drinks reception
Date 9 October 2025
Time 6:30pm
Location The Market Coffee House & Bar (50-52 Brushfield Street, Spitalfields, E1 6AG)
Those who learn how to connect artificial intelligence with the power of supercomputing to drive social innovation will soon lead the way to tackle complex societal problems.
By Itziar Moreno and Gorka Espiau
September 30, 2025TACSI’s reflections on 15 years of nurturing ideas, relationships and practices—locally and globally—through the SIX community. SIX was founded just a year before TACSI, back in 2008—a time when big tech was still a symbol of progress, the White House had an Office of Social Innovation, and most meetings happened face-to-face. At TACSI, we were ... Spreading social innovation through practice
By Chris Vanstone
September 30, 2025On 3-4 July, 2025, partners from Austria, Germany, Portugal, Netherlands, UK gathered in Vienna for launch of the Social Innovation Mission Facility.