Institutions

The absence of institutions devoted to social innovation means that too often it is a matter of luck whether ideas come to fruition. Institutions play a critical role in mobilising energies and orchestrating more systemic change in fields such as climate change and welfare by linking small scale social enterprises and projects to big institutions, laws and regulations (for example, shifting a city’s transport system over to plug-in hybrids).

Innovation accelerators

Innovation accelerators bring people together to quicken the initial stages of innovation. One example is Social Innovation Camp which brings together web designers and developers with...

There are now a range of innovation learning labs within universities. Examples include the Innovation and Action Lab based in Brussels, developed by i-propeller and including...

Innovation departments and offices covering public and social innovation as well as innovation for the economy.

Innovation agencies also play a critical role in linking up ideas and resources. The most effective innovation agencies work across sectors, disciplines and fields. Examples include...

Innovation universities and research departments, such as Finland’s new Aalto University, launched in 2009 from the merger of the Technical University, the Business School, and the...

Innovation incubators play a critical role – they bring together the skills and expertise necessary to help sustain and grow a social enterprise; provide a space to rapidly test out new ideas in practice, with quick assessments; allow fast learning across a community of innovators; and establish clear pathways for scaling up the most promising models.