I strongly believe that today our strong European tradition of social innovation is more needed than ever.
José Manuel Durão Barroso, President of the European Commission
The field of social innovation is developing rapidly but the ability of Europe to coordinate and galvanise activities across EU Member States is limited by the lack of the systematic and sophisticated infrastructures of support.
The TEPSIE research programme is aimed at developing tools, methods and policies to help inform the EU strategy for social innovation. Its purpose is to strengthen the foundations for other researchers, policy-makers and practitioners so that they can analyse and plan with greater confidence. The work involves mapping the field of social innovation, reviewing theories, models, methods and identifying gaps in existing practices and policies, as well as pointing towards the priorities for future strategies.
The Young Foundation has led the way in defining social innovation through its research and networks. With this work we are taking a more in depth view of some of the key issues, as the overall content manager for the programme and leading on the work to focus on an overview of the system of social innovation, engage the public and grow what works, as well as contributing to all the other packages.
The TEPSIE programme consists of eight significant research work packages:
- Overview of the system of social innovation.
- Measuring social innovation.
- Removing the barriers to social innovation.
- Generating capital flows.
- Engaging the public.
- Knowing what works.
- Growing what works.
- Using online networks to maximum effect.
Together with the Young Foundation, the TEPSIE programme will be delivered by the Danish Technological Institute, the University of Heidelberg, Atlantis Consulting in Greece, the Catholic University of Portugal, and the Wroclaw Research Centre.
The research is co-funded by the European Union.
