Collaboration

Accelerating innovation through enterprise-student collaboration in Dublin

Szilvia Szabó — Thu, 11 Jan 2024 11:41:41 +0000

Accelerating innovation through enterprise-student collaboration in Dublin

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Collaboration

Innovation

Dublin

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Collaboration

The award-winning ENFUSE program led by Dublin City Council (DCC) and Local Enterprise Office (LEO) Dublin City is open for applications to match local enterprises and social enterprises with teams of Master’s university and college students in Dublin.

During the spring 2024 semester, teams of students will work with selected enterprises to provide insights, propose solutions, and ultimately present a bespoke and tangible plan that sets out how the enterprise can innovate, address challenges, and develop opportunities.

Student teams can assist participating enterprises with various topics ranging from strategy, marketing, and design thinking to finance, data analysis and machine learning.

Steve O'Reilly, communication manager at The Rediscovery Centre, the National Centre for the Circular Economy in Ireland, participated in the program in 2023 by providing a communication challenge to students.

He highlighted that “taking part in ENFUSE helped us think outside the box, provided us with a framework for how to translate theory into publicity, and shaped our marketing for the years to come.”

“With ingenuity, creativity, and flair, the fantastic team of students devised an intelligent marketing campaign that translates a complex topic into something that will really resonate with our target.”

The overall objective of the ENFUSE program is to support local enterprises by providing bespoke plans to innovate, address challenges and develop opportunities while providing Master’s students with real-world experience and enhancing the local innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem.

Businesses can benefit from new ideas at no extra cost with extra promotional opportunities, screen potential future employees from the student teams, and avail financial support to employ graduates.

“I highly recommend businesses to participate. It keeps businesses in touch with emerging trends and fresh thinking from the students and allows students to gain live experience with businesses in their community,”

said Kate O'Moore from MAKER, a previous participant of ENFUSE.

The application is open to enterprises, social enterprises, and entrepreneurs primarily based in Dublin, with consideration given also to enterprises based outside Dublin.

The submission deadline is 23:59, 18th of January 2024, through an online application platform.

Shortlisted student teams can also compete at the ENFUSE finals in May, where teams can represent their university and compete by pitching to expert judges on the plan they created for their assigned enterprise.

Greg Swift, head of LEO Dublin City, adds that the competition allows the LEO to "tangibly support local enterprises and also promote the benefits of hiring graduate students who are well placed to support the digital and green transitions, amongst other challenges a business may face”.

ENFUSE final student pitch session 2023 at the Wood Quay Venue, Dublin. Image: Dublin City Council

ENFUSE began in 2019 and has gone from strength to strength since. Involving more universities and colleges, its impact has increased as more enterprises, students and project partners have participated and benefited.

The program was selected as a National Winner in the European Commission’s - European Enterprise Promotion Awards (EEPA) 2022 under category 3, which recognises innovative projects and approaches that improve the business environment and support the digital transition.

In addition, ENFUSE was shortlisted as an overall EEPA European finalist project and shortlisted at Chambers Ireland - Excellence in Local Government Awards 2022 in the category of Promoting Economic Development.

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January 2024

Cities to stand together in solidarity for Ukraine

Business Spirit News reporting — Thu, 10 Mar 2022 19:15:16 +0000

Cities to stand together in solidarity for Ukraine

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Cities across Europe are called to organise gatherings in front of city halls to unite people in sharing moments of solidarity for Ukraine.

Eurocities, a network of larger European cities with over 200 members representing 38 countries and its people, is launching an initiative that invites cities to share a moment of solidarity on Saturday, 12 March.

Organisers are calling on cities to organise small or big gatherings in front of city halls across Europe on that day to express their support to those suffering due to the Russian military offensive targeting Ukraine.

President of Eurocities and Mayor of Florence, Dario Nardella, appeals to all mayors and cities to ‘link arms, or share a moment in front of or around our city halls.’

Addressing Eurocities members, Nardella added:

“City diplomacy breaks borders. Through networks like Eurocities, and through our city twinnings, we have built strong relationships. We know and trust each other. We have respect. When we offer solidarity, it is genuine and heartfelt.”

The cities of Bologna, Braga, Florence, Milan, Marseille, Nice, Rotterdam, as well as Rome have already answered the call and joined the movement.

One of the frontrunners to express solidarity is Dublin city. They are putting up lamppost banners and using digital panels across the city in the colour of blue and yellow of the Ukraine national flag as part of their preparation for the upcoming St. Patrick’s Day Festival on 17 March.

To unify the voices of European cities, the ‘shared moment of solidarity for Ukraine’ campaign asks everyone participating or wanting to join in any format to share their pictures on social media channels using the #CitiesWithUkraine hashtag.

“We can do this at the time that works best for each of us on Saturday 12 March, and I ask you to share your images on social media,”

says Nardella.

Digital panels across Dublin city expressing solidarity for Ukraine; Image: Mary Mac Sweeney

Both cities and people are invited to join regardless of whether or not the city is a Eurocities member and encouraged to use visuals provided by organisers on their website.

To boost the impact of each action, Eurocities will collect and share all city actions from their network in the week of 14 March.

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March 2022

Circular Week

Szilvia Szabó — Wed, 18 Aug 2021 11:22:38 +0000

Circular Week

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Poland

https://circularweek.org/en/

kontakt@innowo.org

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Europe

Circular Week is an international series of events and initiatives dedicated to circular economy and sustainable development taking place all over Europe.

The aim of the initiative is to promote the idea of a circular economy, support sustainable business models and establish cooperation between stakeholders.

This 2021 edition will take place on October 11th - 17th. The motto and main theme of this year's edition of Circular Week is Together for a sustainable future.

As part of Circular Week, workshops, debates, meetings, expert panels and matchmaking sessions for business will be hosted.

An organization that would like to become a co-organizer and partner of Circular Week, can submit their own partner event.

A week dedicated to celebrating and promoting Circular Economy across Europe

Series of events will be held as part of the fourth Circular Week, an international congress promoting sustainable solutions and Circular Economy.

Business

August 2021

Circular Week 2020 campaign is open for partner applications

One week to raise awareness about Circular Economy, sustainable production and consumption in Europe.

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August 2020

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Circular Economy

Collaboration

Sustainable Development Goals

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Networking | Events | Community

Citizens are invited to shape the future of parks across Dublin city

Anonymous — Fri, 12 Mar 2021 09:34:36 +0000

Citizens are invited to shape the future of parks across Dublin city

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A new research survey aims to find out what people want to see in Dublin’s parks.

The reality of “social distancing” and “self-isolation” became the new norm as part of consecutive lockdowns, and we were all faced with a sudden and radical change in our daily routine and lifestyle.

However, parks in Dublin and nationwide in Ireland have remained open, providing an important outlet for people to support their physical, social and psychological needs.

Dublin City Council (DCC), in partnership with Dublin City University (DCU) are hosting an online survey to identify what roles and functions the parks fulfilled for all Dublin citizens during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The research will also focus on how these features can be maintained after the pandemic and what future developments people would like to see in the parks.

This is an opportunity for the public to share their opinions and experiences, shaping the development of parks across Dublin in the coming years.

The research team behind the project highlight that there are significant insights available in terms of the frequency, type of usage and volume of activities that have taken place in the capital’s parks during this time.

“People access parks for a whole variety of reasons, for exercise, to enjoy nature, for their overall wellbeing and by hearing from them it will help to inform the ways in which parks should be improved and developed and, crucially planned as a space that all generations can enjoy together”, said Research lead Dr Carol Barron, DCU School of Nursing, Psychotherapy and Community Health.

Parks have provided a safe haven for many during COVID-19; Image: Pexels

This study may have a direct benefit to individuals by helping to identify the specific reasons people are using parks during the era of COVID-19 and plan for the future development of parks as sites of recreation, play, leisure, health, socialisation and biodiversity.

“Parks have provided a safe haven for many during COVID-19, and undoubtedly, the volume of people using their local park has increased substantially.

While the country remains under current restrictions and people are using their parks frequently, we want to find out from respondents what they would like to see developed in their park”, added Dr Marcos Dias from DCU School of Communications and Joint Research Lead.

Organisers want to consult with as many people as possible who use Dublin parks to identify what visitors currently like about Dublin parks and what services, facilities, and events they would like to see in the parks in the near future.

Launching on 15th March, the survey seeks responses from people across Dublin city and county until Sunday 28th March 2021.

The findings will be used to help inform planning and development policy concerning public parks by DCC. It is envisaged that the results will be disseminated via Dublin City University communication platforms.

This project is being funded by the School of Nursing, Psychology and Community Health Publication Grant and a COVID-19 Research Network seed funding grant.

The survey is a collaboration between DCU’s School of Nursing, Psychotherapy and Community Health, DCU School of Communications and Dublin City Council.

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March 2021

Social enterprises can harness university student's creativity to tackle challenges

Anonymous — Thu, 11 Mar 2021 14:59:45 +0000

Social enterprises can harness university student's creativity to tackle challenges

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Incubation

Social Entrepreneurship

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Incubation programme for social enterprises and university students to tackle challenges.

Social Entrepreneurship Incubation Program (SEIP) has launched an open call for social enterprises and purpose-driven businesses to collaborate with university students on advancing their business.

Organisers are looking for social enterprises that have already begun operations, in the idea validation process, or seeking to expand or modify their business model.

Entrepreneurs can enter the incubation programme with a well-defined problem or challenge related to their work.

Participating businesses can benefit from the fresh energies and different mind-set of business school, social entrepreneurship and social science students.

Selected organisations will be matched with creative and enthusiastic students from four European universities and professional mentors to deliver strategic support for their specific problem.

Zsolt Bugarszki PhD, Founder of SEIP and Head of Tallinn University's Social Entrepreneurship MA program in Estonia

“The program was initiated by SEIP (Social Entrepreneurship Incubation Program) that has branches in Ireland, the Netherlands, Estonia, Hungary, Romania, Thailand, Singapore and Canada.

Our incubation programme is closely connected with the Social Entrepreneurship MA programme at Tallinn University.

We had a lot of great experiences with students using their creative energies and knowledge in development work.

On the other hand, we support many social enterprises and purpose-driven businesses, and we see that many of them are struggling with lack of human resources, especially at the start-up phase,” says Zsolt Bugarszki PhD, Founder of SEIP and Head of Tallinn University's Social Entrepreneurship MA program in Estonia.

The first cohort of the cooperation will be organised between the 19th of March and the 28th of May 2021.

Interested businesses can apply by filling out an online form until the 17th of March 2021.

Four universities will provide students with a chance to practice in this collaborative project, where they can work directly with social entrepreneurs and purpose-driven companies from different countries.

“Students are doing this programme as part of their regular courses as an assignment, an internship or as an extracurricular activity while they are supervised and led by their professors, lecturers.

They will learn new things and acquire new skills by doing, instead of sitting in the classroom. This project is a real win-win for social enterprises and students,”

explains Bugarszki further.

Partner institutions include Tallinn University, Estonia; University of Applied Sciences Utrecht, The Netherlands; The Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Faculty of Business Administration in Foreign Language, Romania; ELTE University, Faculty of Special Education, Disability Studies and Social Innovation Lab, Hungary.

Bugarszki adds: “We are working closely with Universities on this experimental programme, and depending on the results, we are hoping to organise it again on a bigger scale in the Autumn semester, involving even more third-level educational institutions if possible.”

Due to the pandemic and international collaboration, all activities will be carried out online.

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March 2021

Opportunities in creating a new business as usual

Sinead Connolly — Tue, 15 Dec 2020 11:58:27 +0000

Opportunities in creating a new business as usual

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How best can we use the power of innovation and collaboration to create a better economy?

The following is a summary of the ‘Creating A New Business As Usual’ panel discussion from the Responsible Innovation Summit 2020.

Experts on the panel discussed how best can we use the power of innovation and collaboration to create a better economy that works for business, people and the planet. The session was moderated by Mary Mac Sweeney, Deputy Head of Enterprise and Economic Development at Dublin City Council.

Mac Sweeney opened the discussion by asking Agnieszka Sznyk PhD, President of the Board, Institute of Innovation and Responsible Development (INNOWO) in Poland, about the advantages of a circular economy.

“Circular economy is the future, it's knocking on our doors. It’s a ‘must have’ for businesses because resources are scarce, and we have to think about how we can lead our businesses in a smarter way.

One of the biggest advantages of this concept is that it allows small and medium enterprises to be more competitive with the big corporations,” Sznyk explains.

Agnieszka Sznyk PhD, President of the Board, Institute of Innovation and Responsible Development in Poland

She used the company MUD Jeans in Holland as an example of how a smaller innovative company can lead the way by becoming sustainable using Circular Economy principles.

Back in 2013, Mud Jeans launched an initiative where customers could lease a pair of jeans for a year and then either swap or keep the jeans. Just recently, Levis have started a similar concept in partnership with Ganni.

Sznyk believes that this circular approach in business is not only good for the environment but can also be economically profitable.

One of the challenges that smaller businesses and organisations face is measuring their impact.

Dr. Diarmuid Torney, Associate Professor, School of Law and Government at Dublin City University (DCU)

Dr. Diarmuid Torney, Associate Professor, School of Law and Government at Dublin City University (DCU), shared his experiences about the university’s participation in a voluntary disclosure process.

According to Torney, last year Dublin City University (DCU) was the first university in the world to voluntarily disclose their emissions under their Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) framework.

“It’s quite a challenging task to gather that data. The fascinating thing from the data complied was that only a quarter of DCU’s emissions come from energy,” Torney explained.

He went on to say that the remaining emissions came from construction and transport (commuting and procurement) and though it’s difficult to measure these aspects, they are a huge contributory factor.

Mac Sweeney asked Neven Marinovic, President of Euclid, The European Network for Social Enterprises and Impact-Driven Leaders, if the social enterprises that he works with focus mainly on their climate impact or their social mission?

Marinovic explained that a holistic approach is encouraged, where either of these approaches can be a force for good, by supporting and having a positive impact on all the challenges we are facing, be it environmental, energy, health or social.

He believes adopting a common sense approach to sustainability in business will appeal to leaders, who may be wary of what they think as ‘new’ ideas.

Neven Marinovic, President of Euclid, The European Network for Social Enterprises and Impact-Driven Leaders

“It would be essential for all of us to find a common denominator in how we measure impact because I think a lot of problems come from the fact that people outside of our bubble cannot actually understand what we are talking about and what is behind it,” Marinovic explains.

Overcoming barriers to new ways of thinking is work that Josephine Nzerem is familiar with.

As Regional Director of Ashoka Anglophone West Africa and Director at Venture and Talent, Ashoka Africa, Nzerem is used to challenging dated cultural beliefs to promote equality and innovative thinking.

She believes that people represent the barriers, and you must look at why they see change as a problem. Once you understand that, then you can design a system that works for everyone.

When you solve problems on a material level without dealing with the root problem, it will come back again, but once you identify the root cause, only then you can design a solution to tackle it.

Josephine Nzerem, Regional Director of Ashoka Anglophone West Africa

“Another thing you have to do is to make your message as simple as possible. Because when people understand it, they will run with it.

If it’s ambiguous and you are talking over their heads, they won’t be able to join you,” Nzerem explains.

Co-creation and collaboration are also key, she believes, in spreading and ‘championing’ your message.

Sznyk believes that persistence and bravery is required in leadership to change the ‘business as usual’ attitude.

“If we see the target, if we see the goal, if we want to make a change, we have to be persistent, because it’s not an easy way to go and we will have a lot of barriers, a lot of obstacles. But if we don’t give up too easily, we will reach it finally.”

According to Marinovic, the traditional style of leadership needs to be replaced by a new mindset.

“We need systems where we can all co-create, strive and move forward. A part of that is education, a part is methodologies, and another part is promotion and advocacy,” he explains.

“I think we are all on a learning journey.

We constantly realise the challenges we face and no one organisation or sector is going to be able to manage this transition alone, so I think collaborative leadership is crucial.

There is an important role for government in this.

Bottom-up initiatives from citizens, communities, or business aren’t, in my view, going to be sufficient.

We need the government to set the rules of the game.

And we need the government to provide direction, to specify that strategic intent,” adds Torney.

Governments can play a vital role in supporting the new business model in terms of policy and legislation, Torney believes.

“Strategic direction. This is what governments, in respect of climate change, have been trying to do, in recent years by providing targets and frameworks for 2050 or sooner.

But also in the medium term, which is the way of government in communicating to society and business that we are going to get serious about responding to climate change.

It needs to be a combination of incentives and also regulation, and I don’t think voluntary frameworks are always sufficient, there is a role for the strong arm of the state to set the rules for reporting and operation.

Public procurement is one (area) where the government can directly drive the market by setting high standards for that product that itself consumes,” explains Torney.

The new business model should be small, flexible and local with a change that is triggered, according to Sznyk.

“We don’t have to think big and global, I think it’s not working anymore, I think we should focus more on what is around us, in the local societies, and this is where we should build our business,” she adds.

Mary Mac Sweeney, Deputy Head of Enterprise and Economic Development at Dublin City Council

As the session drew to a close, Mac Sweeney spoke with Nzerem about the challenge of bringing a co-creation and collaboration mindset to commercial enterprises, where profit often dictates decisions.

Nzerem believes that local entrepreneurs must have the freedom to show their business partners what local means to them and how it will work because they understand the local context.

“It’s good to fail because when you fail, you see the way you are not supposed to do it.

And when you launch your enterprise, fail fast and start all over again. Look at the systems around you that you have built, and ask ‘what do I need to leverage to make this work better?

It’s time to create a mindset that will recognise and support local ideas and also encourage innovating on a small scale and building up."

Closing remarks from Nzerem on how to inspire change and budding aspiring entrepreneurs to deliver these changes on the ground.

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December 2020

In this together: empowering collaboration

Bronagh Loughlin — Wed, 04 Nov 2020 16:33:21 +0000

In this together: empowering collaboration

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People getting together to share and cross-pollinate ideas is key in building back better

This article provides a summary of the ‘In this together – empowering collaboration to build back better’ panel discussion from the Responsible Innovation Summit, held on 20-21 October, 2020.

The moderator, Chris MM Gordon, CEO of Irish Social Enterprise Network and Managing Partner of Collaboration Ireland asked five experts to share their opinions and experiences in this field.

The session kicked off with an opening question that iterated through the whole discussion: Are we building back to the capitalist system that is based on GDP and economic growth?

Sophie Benoit, co-founder of the ‘What The Hack’ project, says, we should strive to look for options to explore other opportunities to make our economy work, such as circular economy, which provides many alternatives for companies to be profitable while considering environmental elements in their business.

Recently many businesses have discovered new models for making money and came up with innovative ways of engaging clients due to lockdowns and disruptions in supply chains.

Norman Thompson - Economic Development Researcher, Local Enterprise Office and Dublin City Council

Norman Thompson, Economic Development Researcher at the Local Enterprise Office and Dublin City Council, recommends that we approach from a different perspective.

“It is more difficult to get more people involved in a process. However, when we do take the extra time and effort to do that, it is much more likely to find solutions that benefit more stakeholders in a better way.”

“In our office, we are focused on economic development which is trying to encourage this more long-term, integrated, collaborated focus on economic development that is looking at the economy in a long-term perspective. Traditionally there is far too much focus on the short-term gains without looking at the long-term vision.”

CJ Palmer, founder and CEO of Sustainable mPact from Sweden, feels we should aim for conscious capitalism and redefine the purpose of business and other entities who contributes to economies.

He says, “I cannot help but keep asking the same question: why are we doing this? If you look at capitalism, what is the purpose anyway of making money? Why are we doing business?

Nicole Loeser, Board Director at the Institute of Art and Innovation in Berlin, joins the conversation with a personal view on patterns in our society.

“I belive it is really about understanding that the economic system will fail and collapse due to climate crisis and overconsumption of resources and therefore, I think it is not only about hope and trust and positive outcomes, it’s not just about purpose for me either, it is about value creation and sharing values.”

Nicole’s opinion is that interdisciplinary collaboration is key since we need systemic change instead of just putting a plaster on a wound and that requires knowledge sharing and the ability to learn from each other. Understanding all these different perspectives is the foundation of our societies.

Cailtin Hafer and Sophie Benoit - founders, What The Hack

There is huge opportunity for things to be transformative as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Cailtin Hafer, the other co-founder of the ‘What The Hack’ project says, “I think there’s already been a transformation, because we have been forced to shakeup our norms.

In the last six months, we have pretty much proven that we can change and find ways to turn this situation into a mind-shifting experience that could lead to a better world as a result”.

Normal is normal because we accept and allow it to be normal, however, we have the ability to design a new normal.

The coronavirus is having a visible and life-changing impact on all of our lives. Although this is not the only ‘pandemic’ that we need to face as a result of how our economy has been working over the last few decades.

“I think it is so obvious by now that the economy does not work right.

Take the plastic issue as an example.

It is shocking to see the scale and impact of plastic pollution, which can be easily seen as the ‘plastic pandemic’ as it has a very direct impact on our lives on the long run.” adds Nicole Loeser.

She feels that we really have to understand that over the last 20 years or so the overconsumption and over exploitation of resources, has overruled some common sense in business – such as admitting that natural resources are not infinitive and we cannot externalise the cost of using nature to the detriment of it.

Nicole Loeser - Board Director, Institute of Art and Innovation, Berlin

Norman Thompson says, “I think in any crisis, as bad and as awful as the impact might be, it also presents an incredibly unique opportunity to change and innovate.”

CJ Palmer adds,

“Recently we have seen some of the great sides of humanity too: we still have the ability to be compassionate and to care about each other. It has been a wakeup call for all of humanity on the planet. This could be something to keep as the driving force for change.”

CJ Palmer - founder and CEO, Sustainable mPact, Sweden

He shares a thought from Nelson Mandela: ‘it almost seems impossible until it’s done’.

“We are on the journey heading towards a more sustainable world which is supported by a huge consumer demand to make the shift.”

Sophie Benoit says, “After every crisis in our history, communities got back together to create something new. People are looking to have an impact now too. But it can be difficult to know where to start and what to do. They need to be part of a group to make that work”.

There is huge value in people coming together if we see this as an investment for innovation and a way of creating our future.

Benoit adds, “With hackathons or any other forms of collaboration events, you just don’t know where the change is going to be. You could come up with an idea that is never going to be implemented but one person is going to inspire another person that will put that idea into action or use it to design something else. It does not mean that you have no impact”.

Time is the true enemy here and community intervention is key.

“I think when it comes to these community interventions or the interdisciplinary collaboration, what I find is key is inspiration and we should not forget that. You get the opportunity to meet truly wonderful people.

It’s not about separation any longer, it’s more like what can I contribute to the community and humanity in general”, says Loeser. We require social innovation and we need to change the entire economic system.

Norman Thompson adds,

“If we’re considering economic development, or entrepreneurship or innovation, all of these things thrive on social capital.

In order to build back better, we need key metrics such as social capital because what gets measured, gets done."

Take away thoughts from speakers:

Caitlin: If you’re going to make a change, decide and say it and you will find people and resources to share your ideas with – you have a voice, use it.

Sophie: Do small things that are sustainable – speak to people outside of your comfort zone and adopt actions you can sustain on the long-term – get diverse opinions.

Nicole: Sometimes it is not obvious who is around you. Some people around you, share your mission – expand a network of networks and get closer.

Norman: Effectuation. Get in touch, think who do you know right now who are interested in terms of initiating whatever you want to do – offer support.

CJ: Be the change you want to see, be inspiring, hope and collaborate – start small, get involved.

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November 2020

Mainstreaming Responsible Innovation is crucial to Build Back Better

Anonymous — Sun, 04 Oct 2020 12:23:02 +0000

Mainstreaming Responsible Innovation is crucial to Build Back Better

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Responsible Research and Innovation

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Leaders of change will come together virtually for 2 days to make change happen

The 4th edition of the Responsible Innovation Summit aims to facilitate collaboration and knowledge exchange to 'help build back better' from the Covid19 pandemic. This virtual event will take place on 20-21 October where innovators can come together to discuss game-changing trends and learn from each other.

The coronavirus has shown how much we rely on global communities, nature and Innovation. It also revealed the vulnerability of businesses and the global economy. However, this situation offers a unique opportunity to implement new business practices and inspire innovations that lead to a more resilient and sustainable economy.

Responsible Innovation plays a vital role in Covid-recovery

“The world is facing an unprecedented test. And this is the moment of truth.

We must respond decisively, innovatively and together to suppress the spread of the virus and address the socio-economic devastation that COVID-19 is causing in all regions.

Finally, when we get past this crisis – which we will – we will face a choice.

We can go back to the world as it was before or deal decisively with those issues that make us all unnecessarily vulnerable to crises. The recovery from the COVID-19 crisis must lead to a different economy.” said António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations at the launch of the report on socio-economic impacts of coronavirus.

The Responsible Innovation Summit is a 2-days event, which is not only an online conference but a meeting point for innovators to cross-pollinate ideas and facilitate future collaborations.

The event aims to inspire business leaders, policymakers and researchers to find innovative ways that could help to build a more sustainable and just economy.

Expert panel discussions will be featured around four key areas:

Roadmap to Build Back Better
Changing the narrative
Building resilient and sustainable businesses
Making Profit with Purpose the new Buisness as Usual

There will be a particular focus on financing positive change, leadership skills and methods to deliver sustainable growth, and the business case of Responsible Innovation and Circular Economy practices.

“The power to change the world is in the hands of every innovator, but we need to cross-pollinate ideas, raise awareness and act collaboratively to deliver a just transition to a sustainable economy. We want to generate positive change by using the power of communication and empower cross-sectorial knowledge sharing," says Szilvia Szabó, co-founder and organiser of the Responsible Innovation Summit.

Responsible Innovation Summit, 2019, Dublin

“We are definitely going to miss the personal meetings, but the virtual edition presents a great opportunity to be more inclusive, open up the discussions and disseminate the content afterwards on multiple channels”, adds Szabó in regards to running the event online this year due to coronavirus.

The unique lineup of speakers presents an opportunity to hear war stories, learnings and raise questions about defining a new business as usual.

More than fifty speakers from all over the world are coming together to discuss actual topics and share best practices that could help decision-makers to lead the way forward.

“Using research papers and case studies as a starting point, we have identified nine ways in which Responsible Innovation can be beneficial for different stakeholders.

If you are a researcher or a practitioner interested in this field, we invite you to discuss if and how Responsible Innovation increases innovativeness and competitiveness, creates new market opportunities, helps to mitigate risks and avoid losses, trust and corporate image and helps attract the best employees,” says Dr André Martinuzzi, Head of the Institute for Managing Sustainability Vienna University of Economics and Business, who will lead one of the workshops at the summit.

Dublin City Council supports this not-for-profit event which traditionally was held in Dublin, and the core team behind the conference is located in Ireland.

“Dublin is seeking to develop as a hub for Responsible Innovation – we already have a strong Economic and Enterprise eco-system that support Innovation. One of the reasons why we are supporting the Responsible Innovation Summit is that we recognise the need to drive awareness and engagement in creating Innovation that results in economic growth and social good at the same time.

Dublin is a leading Hub for Innovation

We see this event as a great opportunity to connect, engage, learn and commit to further action to advance this agenda for Dublin and those who live and work in our beautiful capital city.” says Mary Mac Sweeney, Deputy Head of Enterprise and Economic Development, Dublin City Council.

She adds that "Raising awareness of what these changes will mean for each individual business is essential. It is clear by now that the European Green Deal introduced in 2019 by the European Commission will play a critical role in the process of recovery. This is Europe’s new agenda for sustainable growth which aims to transform our cities to become cornerstones in building a climate-neutral economy by 2050 in Europe.”

Delegates can join various sessions discussing Responsible Innovation trends, emerging business models making a 'Profit with Purpose' and learn from value-driven enterprises.

Organisers are passionate to make this event educational, inspirational and accessible to all innovators who want to generate a positive impact.

Attendees can book tickets to access all sessions, visit virtual expo booths, join launch events and embrace networking opportunities. Bursary tickets are also available to innovators who could benefit from attending but lack the resources.

This two day offers a chance for innovators to actively get involved in shaping the future by turning major challenges into opportunities.

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October 2020

Circular Week 2020 campaign is open for partner applications

Anonymous — Wed, 19 Aug 2020 12:17:04 +0000

Circular Week 2020 campaign is open for partner applications

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One week to raise awareness about Circular Economy, sustainable production and consumption in Europe.

The third edition of the international Circular Week educational and inspirational campaign aims to inspire transformation towards a Circular Economy.

The event will take place between 12-18th October at multiple locations in Europe. Organisers and partners include various organisations who want to raise awareness about Circular Economy, sustainable production and consumption in alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Circular Economy requires stakeholders to change their mindset about the use of natural resources and the way of how the economy works. Currently, the industry operates a linear model of resource consumption by using the "take, use, and throw away" principle.

On the other hand, Circular Economy assumes that raw materials and products will remain in circulation as long as possible, and their value will be maximised. As a result, we will extract fewer natural resources and produce less waste, and those created will be used again for production.

Illustration: Getty Image

One of the critical elements of realising the potentials of Circular Economy principles is a collaboration between different players along the supply chain.

“Circular Economy provides businesses with the opportunity to ensure sustained economic development, minimise environmental impact and maximise social welfare. However, many barriers still exist. This year we are very glad to do so by joining the 2020 edition of Circular Week together with other like-minded peers throughout Europe to underline the importance of collaboration in the transition to a more circular future.” said Stefan Crets, Executive Director at CSR Europe.

The Circular Week initiative also offers an opportunity to sustainable businesses to promote their work and to stakeholders to connect, while reaching out to the broader public about responsible consumption. Finally, Circular Week is a platform where every organisation, institution or individual could become engaged and take part in this movement and forge alliances.

„In the face of today's epidemiological situation and the economic crisis that we experience, the transformation towards a circular economy seems to be an even more desirable and necessary direction of change”,

said Agnieszka Sznyk, President of the Board at INNOWO,, main organsier of the event. „That is why we would like to invite as many organisations and institutions to participate in the 2020 edition of Circular Week to build partnerships and support the transition into a circular economy.”

Anyone who would like to join the week-long series of events dedicated to the Circular Economy can now apply to become an official partner. Event proposals could be focusing on any elements related to the agenda, such as food waste, sustainable fashion, sustainable construction or agriculture, etc.

This year, organisers will put more emphasis on how to lead to the development of local entrepreneurship, economic stability with sustainable production and consumption.

„COVID-19 made us aware that business as usual is not an option anymore, and that we have to come up with more resilient models. Circular Economy can create jobs and contribute to the societal goals, not as an additional cost but as a business model.” - said Freek van Eijk, Managing Director of Holland Circular Hotspot in regards to becoming partners of Circular Week 2020.

The campaign website provides more information regarding the agenda, partners and details on becoming an official partner.

“Circular Week 2020 will be another opportunity to learn from one another, celebrate our successes and identify new opportunities to collaborate,”

said James Close, Head of the Circular Economy Programme, London Waste and Recycling Board.

The main organiser behind the campaign is the Institute of Innovation and Responsible Development, INNOWO. Other prestigious organisations, such as CSR Europe, Circular Economy Forum Austria, LWARB- London Waste and Recycling Board (Great Britain), Circular Change (Slovenia), Circular Futures (Austria), Institut national de l'économie circulaire (Inec) (France) have joined as official partners of Circular Week 2020.

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August 2020

Free access to open source digital book on Social Innovation

Anonymous — Mon, 08 Jun 2020 15:55:51 +0000

Free access to open source digital book on Social Innovation

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Explore how not-for-profit organisations, companies and state related agencies collaborate for social innovation

This book is relevant to communities interested in sustainability, responsible leadership or social change, since it centres on the question of how diverse actors succeed in making the world a better place by means of innovation. It is based on a rigorous research program and integrates 3 years of research funded by the European Commission.

By uncovering how actors need to work together and which strategies they need to apply in generating positive impact, the book produces knowledge to inform policies and practices. It deals with the transformation of professional service delivery, the blurring boundaries between “private” and “public” actors and goods, and the ambition across sectors of increasing societal value.

The author team has won the "Best Book 2019 Award" of the Academy of Management's (AOM) Public and Nonprofit Division.

" We won an important award shortly after publishing the book and been pleased to read in the award message that: Social Innovation: Comparative Perspectives covers an important and relevant topic. It clearly outlines methodological approaches for analyzing social innovation, with sufficient detail that other studies could replicate. The book has practical value because it provides guidance to practitioners regarding how they can achieve social innovation in their contexts.” says Dr Gorgi Krlev, who works at the Centre for Social Investment (CSI) of the University of Heidelberg and co-author of the book.

Since it is hard to establish causality and to measure social properties when investigating impact, especially at the level of society, the book narrows down impact to one priority aspect: social innovation – understood as organizations’ capacity to generate novel ideas, ways and means of doing things, of addressing public and social problems of many kinds. Social innovation spans individual actors, organizations, and transformations in society in view of today’s grand challenges.

This volume is based on contributions of the project "ITSSOIN – Impact of the Third Sector as Social Innovation" funded by the European Commission under the 7th framework programme and authored by Prof Helmut K. Anheier, Dr Georg Mildenberger andDr Gorgi Krlev from the Centre for Social Investment at the University of Heidelberg.

The book is available online for free to read and download.

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