European Social Innovation Competition Opens for 2022

The 2022 prize focuses on ‘the future of living, innovation for affordable, and sustainable housing districts’ and will support innovations expected to generate economic and/or societal benefits.

The European Social Innovation Competition is organised by the European Commission and the European Innovation Council and Small and Medium Enterprises Executive Agency (EISMEA). The competition aims to boost the potential of social innovation to provide solutions to societal challenges and foster sustainable and inclusive growth in Europe.

The 2022 European Social Innovation Competition has the theme ‘the future of living – innovation for affordable and sustainable housing districts’. It will support proposals from social innovators that bring forward innovations expected to generate economic and/or societal benefits, such as positive impacts on employment, societal, environmental, scientific, vulnerable groups etc. Gender-sensitive solutions with regards to energy consumption, mobility patterns, waste management and other sustainable living aspects should be taken into account, where relevant.

In addition to non-technological social innovations, the competition will look for projects with a particular focus on breakthrough, market-creating and deep-tech innovations embracing the policy objectives of this year’s theme, which will boost innovation within housing districts and, consequently, have an impact on local prosperity and sustainability.

Applications are accepted from individuals, organisations and groups that are legally established or resident in EU Member States or Associated Countries to Horizon Europe. Joint applications by a group of participants are permitted, in which case the participants must appoint a lead participant to represent them.

The proposed solutions or activities must have taken place (or, in case of early stage innovations, must target beneficiaries) in an EU Member State (including overseas countries and territories – OCTs) or in an Associated Country to Horizon Europe. Initiatives must be ongoing (even in an early phase) or completed and have started after 11 December 2019. In the case of ongoing activities, only work achieved by the submission deadline will be considered for the prize.

Three winning projects will be awarded €50,000 each.

Entries to the 2022 competition should be submitted by the 17 May 2022 deadline.

(This report was the subject of a ResearchConnect Newsflash.)