The innovations that inspire us: Social innovation experiences that have influenced public policy
We know that it can sometimes be difficult to find real-life examples of social innovations that have made the leap from small-scale projects to influencing institutional decision-making. But they do exist, and at the European Network for Innovation for Inclusion, we want to share their stories, give them the recognition they deserve and understand how they have achieved this.
That is why you won’t want to miss the 14th European Forum on Experiences and Trends in Innovation for Inclusion this Friday, 13 November. This year’s event will take place under the theme “Moving towards more innovative, more inclusive, and more connected systems”. Organised by the European Network for Innovation for Inclusion and led by Action Against Hunger, the forum will bring together professionals and organisations from across Europe to share experiences on how to drive systemic change through social innovation.
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The event will take place at the Action Against Hunger Auditorium in Madrid and will also be available to watch live via the Acción Social España YouTube channel, in Spanish, and the European Network for Innovation for Inclusion LinkedIn page, in English.
In the session Innovation initiatives for transforming public policy, we will take a closer look at experiences such as the Inclusion Policy Labs of the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, the International Rural Innovation Lab in Genalguacil (Málaga) and the Government Outcomes Lab at the University of Oxford. These three examples will offer insights into different ways of driving social innovation through institutions and local communities.
Social innovation can emerge in a neighbourhood, an organisation or a small town, offering new ways to address social challenges. But what happens when a solution moves beyond its original setting and begins to influence institutional decision-making? The true potential of social innovation lies in turning good ideas into public responses that can reach more people and bring about lasting change.
To make this happen, collaboration between social organisations and public authorities is essential. Social organisations have first-hand knowledge of people’s needs and the challenges facing their communities, and can contribute fresh ideas and new ways of working. Public institutions, in turn, have the capacity to integrate these solutions into public policies and services, extending their reach. When both sides work together, innovative initiatives have a greater chance of growing and reaching more people.
Alongside these examples, the forum will also focus on another key aspect: how to support social organisations so that their innovations can grow and reach further.
In this process, networks play an important role. They connect organisations with public authorities, facilitate the exchange of experience and help create opportunities for innovative solutions to become part of public policy. This is precisely the role played by the European Network for Innovation for Inclusion, through its work on capacity building for innovative organisations and its Social Innovation Labs.
Julen Etxebeste, a consultant specialising in social innovation, and Irene Ojo Mars, Coordinator of the European Network for Innovation for Inclusion at Action Against Hunger, will explore these topics and much more in their session, Supporting the scaling of social innovations: the experience of the European Network for Innovation for Inclusion.
Together, we will explore how networks can support social organisations in scaling their innovations, helping them connect with public authorities and facilitating the integration of their solutions into public policy.
Because transforming public policy also means learning from what already works, connecting the people who can make change happen and creating the conditions for effective solutions to reach further.