Social innovation helps tackle Europe’s biggest challenges, and the Competence Centres work together to share expertise, coordinate resources, and scale solutions across borders. National Competence Centres for Social Innovation from across Europe held two meetings this year to deepen cooperation, share best practices, and accelerate real impact through innovation.
Vilnius was the meeting point for the first gathering in March, setting the stage for a dynamic exchange on digital tools, AI-driven approaches, and ways to strengthen transnational collaboration to maximise the impact of social innovation. The Mutual Learning Event brought together participants from 25 EU member countries to turn insights into key takeaways, learn from one another, and identify new tools that can help each Center support ambitious initiatives.
The second meeting organized by the Community of Practice (CoP) on Social Innovation explored the Czech Republic’s social innovation experience and highlighted the “social time bombs” that silently shape our societies — mental-health issues, gender inequality, housing exclusion, energy poverty, and more.
It is important for NCCs to recognise the urgent need for collaborative social innovation. This must be enabled and supported structurally and financially by ESF+ funding and by the dedication of Managing Authorities to transform pressing challenges into sustainable solutions.
By uniting Europe’s National Competence Centres, these meetings spark collaboration, consolidate expertise, and co-create the tools and funding models needed to turn local successes into continent-wide social innovations.
The Romanian National Competence Centre for Social Innovation was developed under the SEED project. The ambition of the new project SEED2SCALE is to reach a more mature stage of NCCs with a defined legal framework and effective governance, and business models.
