Innovative Solutions for an Inclusive Workplace in 2026
On October 21, the Swedish Association for the Advancement of Women in Business ( Competence Centre for Social Innovation ) will host the fourth edition of the conference “Innovative Solutions for an Inclusive Workplace” at Linköping Konsert & Kongress.
Social innovation is not optional. It is not a trend. It is essential if we are to better address today’s complex societal challenges together as a society.
Since 2021, the Swedish ESF Council and the European Union have been working to find new solutions to address challenges in the areas of social inclusion, the labor market, and education. To date, 37 projects in Sweden have received funding through seven calls for proposals under the European Social Fund’s Program Area E: Social Innovation. At the same time, the National “ Competence Centre for Social Innovation ” initiative under the European Social Fund has been working to gather knowledge and experiences and to systematize support for promoting social innovation for an inclusive working life.
Over the course of a full day, we will:
- Please share with us the lessons learned from projects and initiatives during 2021–2026.
- Highlight examples and results from various ESF projects, with a particular focus on social innovation (Program Area E).
- Share knowledge and reflections on the opportunities and obstacles to social innovation.
- Discuss ways to bring about systemic change through policy, funding, and the organization of social innovation.
- Highlight current and upcoming ESF calls for proposals.
Practical Information
Date: October 21, at 9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. (registration with coffee begins at 8:00 a.m.)
Location: Linköping Concert & Congress Center
Participation is free, but space is limited.
Competence Centre for Social Innovation
The conference “Innovative Solutions for an Inclusive Workplace” is part of the KCompetence Center for Social Innovation. The Competence Center operates within the framework of the European Social Fund on behalf of the Swedish ESF Council and is run by Coompanion Sweden, Famna, the National Network for Coordination Associations, and the Forum for Social Innovation Sweden at Malmö University. The Competence Center is co-financed by the European Union.
Program
8:00–9:00 a.m. Registration and coffee
9:00–9:10 a.m. Hello and welcome!
Since 2021, the European Union and the Swedish ESF Council have been placing a special focus on social innovation through the European Social Fund. The goal is to promote innovative solutions to societal challenges in the areas of employment, education, and social inclusion. As part of this effort, the Center of Excellence for Social Innovation ( Forum for Social Innovation Sweden ) at Malmö University, together with the National Network for Coordination Associations and now also in collaboration with Coompanion Sweden and Famna, has established a national “ Competence Centre for Social Innovation.” “Innovative Solutions for an Inclusive Workplace” is the Center of Excellence’s annual conference, and this marks its fourth edition.
Contributors:
; Anna Tengqvist, Coordinator:
; Mattias Bergström, Project Manager:
; Gordon Hahn, Project Manager:
; Aleksandra Wasso, Project Manager
Moderators
Josefin Aggestam, Project Manager
Lotta Orban, Communications Specialist
9:15–9:45 How We Support Effective, Sustainable, and Value-Creating Social Innovations
The Competence Center for Social Innovation’s annual analysis report is released. The report, titled “Targeted, Sustainable, and Value-Creating Social Innovations in the European Social Fund—Collected Lessons from Sweden’s National “ Competence Centre for Social Innovation ” in the European Social Fund 2022–2026,” the report compiles lessons on how the development of innovative solutions to societal challenges in the labor market, education, and social inclusion is supported from the local to the international level.
Participants:
Malin Lindberg, visiting professor of social innovation at Malmö University
More participants to be announced
9:45–10:00 A Presentation on an ESF Project from the Analysis Report
More information to come.
10:00–10:30 Break with refreshments
10:30–11:00 How We Put Innovation into Practice!
The ESF projects approved under Program Area E are socially innovative in various ways. What can we learn from these different projects? What makes a project socially innovative? In this session, we’ll be speaking with former project owners and exploring a new support tool from the competence center—an AI chatbot that will now be tested and further developed based on your input.
Cast:
, TBA
Moderator
Gloria-Karin López, project manager, Competence Centre for Social Innovation
11:00–11:15 An ESF Project Presents
More information to come.
11:15–11:45 How We Strengthen Regional Capacity for Social Innovation
More information to come.
11:45 a.m.–12:00 p.m. A ESF project from the regional call for proposals shares its story
More information to come.
12:00–1:00 p.m. Lunch
1:00 p.m.–1:40 p.m. Funding Social Innovation: Not Just a Matter of Money
More information to come.
1:40–1:55 p.m. ESF projects from the funding call share their stories
More information to come.
2:00–2:30 p.m. Capitalizing on What Works—Scaling and Disseminating Valuable Solutions
More information to come.
2:30–3:00 p.m. Break with refreshments
3:00–3:30 p.m. How We Can Learn from Each Other and Develop Knowledge
More information to come.
3:30–4:00 p.m. Thank you & see you again!
SPEAKERS AND MODERATORS
We will be posting the list of speakers and moderators here on an ongoing basis.
Gloria-Karin
López
Moderator
Gloria-Karin is a project manager at Forum for Social Innovation Sweden. In her role, Gloria-Karin creates platforms for knowledge sharing and cross-sectoral collaboration addressing societal challenges, particularly at the intersection of the 2030 Agenda and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, with a focus on co-creation. Together with her colleagues, she has, among other things, developed a method— the Coalition Method —to catalyze cross-sectoral collaborations, and launched“Social Entrepreneurs of the Future” (FRASE) at Malmö University, where 15–20 high school students have the opportunity to work summer jobs in social entrepreneurship.
Lotta
Orban
Moderator
Lotta Orban is the communications manager at Competence Centre for Social Innovation and a project manager at Forum for Social Innovation Sweden at Malmö University. Lotta works both strategically and operationally, handling everything from news coverage, content creation, and storytelling across various formats and channels to project management, facilitation, and moderation. Lotta has extensive and broad experience in communications within academia. As a former journalist, she is accustomed to simplifying and clarifying complex facts and information. Through her work, Lotta aims to help make knowledge, research, and innovative solutions accessible to a wider audience.
Malin
Lindberg
Speakers
Malin Lindberg is a visiting professor of social innovation at Malmö University, in the Department of Urban Studies and Forum for Social Innovation Sweden. She is also a professor of gender and technology at Luleå University of Technology, as well as an adjunct professor at the Center for Civil Society Research at Marie Cederschiöld University College in Stockholm. Her research focuses on innovative solutions to societal challenges in terms of social innovation, with a particular emphasis on the role of civil society and cross-sectoral collaboration.
Mattias
Bergström
Moderator
Mattias Bergström is the head of the association of the Coordination Association Central Östergötland and National coordinators for the National Network for Coordination Association NNS.