To identify the factors that contribute to long-term social change and avoid pitfalls, 35 best practices have been have been identified by Forum for Social Innovation Sweden within the European project BuiCaSuS. The examples describe methods, tools, and approaches that organizations in France, Latvia, Spain, and Sweden use to support social innovation processes.
Sweden and Europe face complex social challenges, such as social exclusion and segregation. Many policymakers and others view social innovation as a useful method for tackling complex social challenges and working toward a sustainable society. How can we create socialt innovative solutions to these challenges, drawing on diverse perspectives and partners? And how can we ensure these solutions are sustainable over time?
The European Consortium and the Project Building Capacity for a Sustainable Society (BuiCaSuS) is working to find answers to these questions. One way is to present methods, tools, and approaches for how organizations can support social innovation processes, as well as how support can be provided at the societal level.
35 examples of best practices have been compiled to highlight the factors that contribute to long-term social change and to help avoid pitfalls: 14 from France, 4 from Latvia, 7 from Spain, and 10 from Sweden.
“These best practices provide an overview of the key factors for supporting social innovation and the lessons learned on how to support the social innovation process,” says Anna Tengqvist, coordinator of Forum for Social Innovation Sweden project manager for BuiCaSuS in Sweden.
The social innovation process consists of the following elements: 1) identifying and analyzing societal challenges, 2) mobilizing stakeholders and resources, 3) idea generation—designing, testing, and adapting solutions, 4) realization—implementation and scaling up, and 5) driving societal change.
The methods, tools, and approaches for supporting each element vary, but they often share common characteristics such as cross-sectoral collaboration, co-creation, and civic engagement.
Here are some examples of how each element of the social innovation process can be supported:
1) Identification and analysis of societal challenges
- Gather information and analyze societal challenges and needs
- Expand standards for mobilizing stakeholders and resources
2) Mobilization and coordination of stakeholders and resources
- Community involvement
- Mobilize resources
3) Idea generation – design, testing, and customization of solutions
- Bring stakeholders together
- Challenge silos and structures
- Incubation Program
4) Implementation – implementation and scaling up
- Strengthen the ecosystem
- Identify and engage stakeholders
- Facilitate the exchange of best practices and best examples
- Strengthen policies in the field of social innovation
- Accelerator programs that support the scaling of social innovations
- Design financing to support the scaling of social innovations
- Methods and knowledge on how to support social innovations for innovation and business promoters
5) Bring about social change
- Impact assessment tools
- Support the evaluation processes
- Resource Center for Assessing Social Impact
- Competitions, awards
- Tools for assessing the potential for scaling social innovations
More information about best practices) can be found at BuiCaSuS website, via the links below.
14 Best Practices from France (486 KB)
- Cap Impact
- Social impact bonds
- 27th region
- The Emergence & Acceleration Community
- Banque des Territoires
- Local Support Scheme (Dispositif Local d’Accompagnement)
- FAIR
- Fund I
- Initiative Factory (Fabrique à Initiatives)
- Godin Institute (Institut Godin)
- P’INS (The P’INS Program)
- LabCom Destins
- Regional Economic Cooperation Hubs (PTCE – Pôles Territoriaux de Coopération Economique)
- Ronalpia (“Implantation” scale-up program)
4 Good Examples from Latvia (240 KB)
- Social Entrepreneurship Association of Latvia (SEAL)
- Social Innovation Center
- Society Integration Foundation (SIF)
- Reach for Change Latvia
7 Best Practices from Spain (543 KB)
- Bofill Foundation – Social Hub
- The Spanish Red Cross – IDEATECA Participatory Innovation Platform
- Agirre Lehendakaria Center-ALC (Basque Social Innovation Lab)
- Fundación Novaterra – “La Promotora”
- Innovation in Social Care – iSocial Foundation
- RED Social Innovation
- Fundación Caja Navarra – Innova Program (InnovaSocial and InnovaCultura)
10 Best Practices from Sweden (320 KB)
- Coordination of support organizations within a national network – Social Entrepreneurship Sweden
- Financing and financial coaching for social enterprises – Mikrofonden Sverige
- Supporting Social Innovation at the Regional Level – Örebro Partnership for Social Innovation
- Collaboration and knowledge exchange to strengthen social innovation through cross-sectoral meeting places – Forum for Social Innovation Sweden
- Supporting Social Innovation Through the Business Innovation System – The Joint Way
- Umeå’s Innovation Platform for Sustainable Cities – Social Progress Innovation Sweden
- Funding for social innovation – Vinnova, Sweden’s innovation agency
- Universities joining forces to strengthen social innovation – Forum for Social Innovation Sweden
- The Development Network for Social Enterprises of Sweden’s Municipalities and Regions (SKR)
- Promoting cooperative entrepreneurship – Coompanion Sweden
Learn more about BuiCaSuS