The Competence Centres for Social Innovation Working Group met in Portugal

A kick-off meeting of Competence Centres for Social Innovation took place during the 2^nd edition of a two-day Social Innovation Village event organized in Luz, Alentejo, Portugal. Participants included ESF+ committee members and key contact persons of each EU Member State involved directly in one of the approved EU consortia for the National Competence Centres (NCCs). The event was organized by the Community of Practice (CoP) on Social Innovation of the ESF+ Social Innovation+ Initiative. One of its objectives is facilitating active connections and collaboration between ESF+ bodies and NCCs.

The diffusion of social innovation requires a deep understanding of the needs and challenges of societies and a commitment to collaboration and partnership with a broad range of national and civil society stakeholders. NCCs play a critical role in supporting national social innovation ecosystems. Aligning future thinking and actions, discussing the key elements of collaboration and addressing the need of the ecosystem’s entities is crucial to creating a more cohesive and practical approach to Social Innovation that maximizes its impact and drives positive change in EU countries’ communities.

In this spirit, during the morning session, panelists discussed if Europe could lead the way to reduce inequalities and address society’s major problems. In the afternoon session, participants were invited to exchange ideas during the theory of change joint exercise aligned with the core competencies associated with social innovation.

It was the first face-to-face meeting of CoP on Social Innovation members after a break of several years. In total, 60 network participants from 21 EU Member States attended the event and exchanged ideas to facilitate the spread of social innovation in the EU.   

Watch the highlights of the NCC for Social Innovation Working Group Kick-off meeting.