About

For the last ten years, the notion of social innovation has been the subject of research, public debates, and political programs. Due to major current changes affecting society, such as climate change, financial crises, and demographic change, social innovations are emerging in response to problems for which solutions cannot be found in the traditional market and public systems. Social innovation is a broad term that encompasses a diverse array of activities. Over the years, many definitions of social innovation have been proposed.

Social innovation is easiest to define as new strategies, concepts, ideas, processes, products, services, business models, tools and methodologies or combinations of all of the above that respond to societal needs or problems while creating new social relationships and collaborations. We are talking about new solutions, innovations with a social mission, focused on the common good, creating social impact, initiated, developed and implemented by organizations from the public, private for-profit, private non-profit sector or individuals. Social innovation does not only benefit society but also the individuals involved, especially through strengthening the capacity for activation and creation.

Social innovation is not a new practice in Croatia. They have long been recognized as an attractive tool to address economic, social or environmental challenges such as migration, population aging, climate change, poverty, social exclusion, inequality. In recent years, both the public and private for-profit and non-profit sectors have been using social innovation as a tool to develop positive practices that reduce or eliminate inequalities and transform relationships in society. Although we cannot talk about an overly stimulating framework for the development and implementation of social innovation (lack of coordination between different mechanisms, limited sources of funding), in Croatia there are many examples of social innovation in all three sectors and several organizations supporting social innovation development, including ReCeD'Istria.

Three approaches to social innovation

Social innovations can be developed in:

  • local,
  • regional,
  • national or
  • global context.

No matter what level and approach we use, social innovation needs to demonstrate sustainability - not only institutionally, but also financially - in order for the benefits of social innovation to generate the desired social impact and stable change.

Najvažnije ključne aktivnosti Regionalnog centra za društvene inovacije Istra su organizacija i provođenje novog, inovativnog načina obrazovanja različitih dionika o društvenim inovacijama i o metodama društveno.png

How to start socially innovating?

The process of social innovation is simple. We need to analyze a problem or need, map / identify existing solutions, re-analyze, find a possible new solution, test, analyze, improve, test, analyze, improve, repeat everything, validate.

Through the process of social innovation, we need to continuously verify whether the new solution meets the basic criteria of social innovation: whether it meets social needs and requirements, whether it contributes to efficient and effective use of resources, whether it improves the quality of life, changes existing paradigms and practices. In the Croatian context, perhaps the most important thing is whether it encourages individuals and communities to be co-creators of social change, whether we create new social capital through these processes.