The Global Innovation Academy (the Academy) is a new type of learning initiative developed by the Young Foundation in partnership with the Rockefeller Foundation, NESTA, and others to skill people involved in public and social innovation globally, drawing on a shared body of knowledge about methods, evidence; a shared curriculum; and a shared faculty of leading practitioners from across the globe.

It has been developed in response to calls from public servants, NGOs, foundations and businesses around the world that want much better access to practical, useful skills in managing innovation.

With pathfinder projects launching this year in Spain, China and Singapore , the Academy will soon be active across the globe, working with thousands of individuals, organisations and government departments, connecting a burgeoning alumni network and a wealth of materials that document and share the most effective and cutting edge developments in social innovation.

The big challenges of our times - from climate change to poverty, obesity to isolation and substance abuse - are by their nature complex, and solutions must involve all sectors of society. Many of those who are charged with tackling these issues are unable to shift systems and institutions fast enough to keep pace and impact sustainable change. For government, industry, and organisations large and small, pressures are intensified by the need to respond to changing public policy agendas, shifting markets, shrinking revenues, and increased demand.

Despite the best efforts of individuals, local and central government and the wider social sector, the barriers that prevent progress can appear intractable. Innovation provides the tools to overcome these barriers. Yet a critical lesson from other fields, such as science and business, is that successful innovation depends on skills - skills of observation, learning, multiplying ideas, finance, design and growth.

The Academy can build the skills and capacity needed to accelerate innovation in response to social challenges by identifying, borrowing and adapting the best solutions from across the globe, learning from successful local projects as well as looking to international best practice. The Academy also spurs innovation within organisations and networks, promoting new ideas and new ways of working, and ensuring that staff at all levels are empowered to innovate and trained to deliver.

The Academy equips people with the right knowledge and capabilities by:

• Connecting people with ideas and expertise with people who are eager to learn;

• Building capacity within cutting edge organisations and departments, supporting leading thinkers and practitioners to share their experience and expertise locally and internationally; and

• Drawing and distilling the best ideas - in areas such as ageing, education, health, home care, and the environment - that are advanced by methods including new financing tools, idea generation, user-led design, commissioning, and scaling.

The Academy is supported by many of the leading practitioners and institutions in the field worldwide, including the Rockefeller Foundation in New York, the Gulbenkian Foundation in Lisbon, NESTA, Cisco, London Business School, the Social Innovation Park in Bilbao, as well as individuals including John Kao, Rosabeth Moss Kanter and Stephen Goldsmith.

Download an overview of the project

Follow us on twitter

Sign up to our mailing list