Social innovations
Social innovations are new ideas that meet social needs, create social relationships and generate new collaborative partnerships. These innovations may be products, technologies, services or models designed around the theme selected for the year. The European Commission's objective is to encourage market uptake of innovative solutions and stimulate employment.
The Programme
The day will be officially opened by Stavomir Tokarsk, the European Commission's Director for Innovation and Advanced Marketing. Discussions, presentations and workshops will follow. For the full programme, see the calendar on the website of the Netherlands EU Presidency.
The competition
Organised since 2012 in memory of Portuguese politician and social innovator Diogo Vasconcelos, the European Social Innovation Competition runs with a new theme each year, focused on addressing a different issue in Europe.
The competition seeks creative approaches that realise the potential of refugees and migrants, enabling them to contribute to the social, economic, cultural and political life of their host countries.
A few ideas are:
- Education and skills development
- Employment and entrepreneurship
- Access to appropriate housing and health services
- Safety and human rights
- Community cohesion and cultural diversity
Thirty of the most promising applications will be chosen as semi-finalists and will be invited to a social innovation mentoring academy in Berlin in July to progress their ideas.
The three best projects will each be awarded with a prize of €50,000 at the awards ceremony to take place in Brussels in October 2016.
Winners 2015
In 2015 the three winners each received a prize of €50,000 too. Their projects highlighted social and environmental issues that concern many Europeans, addressing our ageing population and accessibility for wheelchair users in creative ways.
