Social Innovation Community

PROFILE

Social Innovation Community (SIC)

Consortium: 12 leading social innovation organizations across Europe

About SIC

The Social Innovation Community (SIC) is the community for social innovators across Europe. Here you can find whats going on and who’s doing it.

Why do we need SIC?

A range of social innovation organisations and networks have emerged in Europe in recent years to tackle the increasingly complex and interrelated challenges we face today. Yet too often this activity is limited to a small but active few, and is not well-coordinated or visible enough to achieve critical mass.

How does it work?

Taking areas of known social innovation activity – which we’ve organised around ‘social innovation networks’ – SIC will strengthen, connect and grow existing social innovation communities – including public sector innovation, digital social innovation, intermediaries, social economy actors and more. Starting from the premise that we need more open innovation approaches to effectively address societal challenges, over a three year period, SIC will run a series of on- and offline activities – including practical place-based experiments, learning, policy and research.

What will it do?

Our aim is to:

• help deepen the knowledge and capacity of the networks to act and grow, and
• support public decision-makers and other stakeholders to work with social innovators more effectively in solving public challenges.

Overview

The Social Innovation Community (SIC) was a collaborative project funded by the European Union. SIC brought together a consortium of 12 prominent social innovation organizations from various European countries. The primary goal of SIC was to strengthen, connect, and expand existing social innovation communities to enhance their collective capacity to tackle some of the most pressing societal challenges of our time. SIC had made significant strides in strengthening, connecting, and growing social innovation communities across Europe. The project successfully enhanced the capacity of numerous social innovation actors, fostered valuable connections between diverse stakeholders, and contributed to a more vibrant and effective social innovation ecosystem.

Objectives

1. Strengthening Social Innovation Communities:

• SIC aimed to bolster existing social innovation networks by providing support, resources, and opportunities for collaboration. This was achieved through a series of workshops, training sessions, and knowledge-sharing activities designed to enhance the skills and capabilities of social innovators

1. Connecting Diverse Actors:
   • One of SIC’s core missions was to connect a diverse range of actors within the social innovation ecosystem. This included public sector innovators, digital social innovation practitioners, intermediaries, social economy actors, and more. By fostering connections among these varied groups, SIC promoted a more integrated and cohesive social innovation landscape.

1. Growing the Social Innovation Ecosystem:
   • Through targeted initiatives, SIC sought to expand the reach and impact of social innovation across Europe. This involved scaling successful projects, supporting the development of new initiatives, and encouraging cross-sectoral collaboration to address complex societal issues.

Key Activities

• Workshops and Training Sessions: SIC organized numerous workshops and training sessions aimed at building the capacity of social innovators. These events covered a wide range of topics, including design thinking, impact measurement, and scaling strategies.
• Knowledge Sharing and Networking: The project facilitated extensive knowledge sharing through online platforms, publications, and face-to-face networking events. This allowed participants to exchange best practices, learn from each other’s experiences, and collaborate on joint initiatives.
• Policy Advocacy: SIC engaged in policy advocacy to promote a supportive environment for social innovation. This involved working with policymakers to create favorable conditions for social enterprises and other innovative solutions to thrive.

Although the formal SIC project concluded in 2019, its legacy continues through the ongoing work of the participating organizations and the networks they helped to build. The resources, connections, and knowledge generated during the project remain valuable assets for the European social innovation community, contributing to continued progress in addressing societal challenges through innovative solutions.