Several Swedish universities are currently reorienting themselves toward a broader and deeper engagement with society. As a result, institutional support for societal benefit and innovation is expanding beyond technology transfer and commercialization to also include social innovation and cross-sectoral collaboration aimed at addressing societal challenges and promoting sustainable development.
To further illuminate this trend, a document analysis was conducted of policy documents from six Swedish universities, followed by policy labs at each university where administrators, support staff, researchers, and other stakeholders discussed and explored the findings in greater depth. In addition, socially engaged universities in other European countries were surveyed to provide comparative insights. To broaden the perspective even further, a “re-imaginatorium” was organized, where participants from all the universities studied gathered to envision what the socially engaged universities of the future might look like. The study was conducted by Forum for Social Innovation Sweden with funding from the Swedish innovation agency VINNOVA.
This policy brief explores how Swedish higher education institutions can support and promote civic engagement, cross-sectoral collaboration, and social innovation for societal development. The policy brief aims to inspire concrete actions to implement policy and guiding documents, as well as initiatives for cross-sector collaboration that can lead to innovative solutions and social innovation that contribute to sustainable development.
The policy brief is written in English and was developed by the Swedish Platform for System Innovation Research in Interaction(SIRI).
Would you like to learn more about the research project “Academic Policy Support for Social Innovation for Sustainable Transition”? Read the news article about the project here.