Between the 1st and 2nd of October, the partners from the SEED2SCALE consortium, together with representatives of the European Commission, ecosystem builders, and changemakers, are participating in the 2025 edition of the Social Innovation Forum in Brussels, Belgium, focused on “How to build resilient societies across the EU through social innovation.”
Here are some of the insights so far:
- Robin Maialeh underlined that Europe’s leadership in well-being, including health, longevity, and access to public services, remains a strong differentiator compared to other ecosystems. Social innovation has played a substantial role in this achievement, even before such initiatives were formally recognised under the “social innovation” label.
- Bairbre Nic Aongusa delivered a keynote on “Cultivating a Collaborative Culture: The Key to Successful Social Innovation?”, emphasising the importance of collaboration in enabling lasting change.
Another highlight came from Torino Social Impact, which is working on the development of a Social Stock Exchange – a capital market designed specifically for social enterprises.
The lessons learned from the experiences of Ireland, Germany, Poland, Spain, and Portugal in supporting social innovation and their current challenges show that collaboration is key, and even small initiatives can become impactful and scalable over time.
Social innovation reminds us that systemic change doesn’t always require new legislation, but it means changing expectations.
