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Overview

The INNO4CHANGE project

According to the European Commission’s Social Business Initiative (2011), ‘a social enterprise is
an operator in the social economy whose main objective is to have a social impact rather than
make a profit for their owners or stakeholders’. With social economy employing over 11 million
people in the EU, corresponding to 6% of total employment, social enterprises can play a unique
role in identifying unmet social needs, and in stimulating the economy, providing employment
opportunities, particularly for disadvantaged people, as a tool for social inclusion (Socia l Business
Initiative, EC).

Social innovation is about coming up with new responses to societal needs and problems (Social
Innovation Playbook). However, social enterprises are not necessarily innovative if they offer
conventional support but might became just that if they combine societal, environmental or
community goals with an innovative spirit, generating positive social impact and stimulating the
economy, new jobs, and introduce in the market new innovative ideas to tackle social needs, thus
complementing the conventional support that exists (Social Business Initiative, EC).

Political strategies (Europe 2020, Social Business Initiative) have paved the way for such a
concept of ‘social enterprise’ to flourish and be associated with the design and implementation
of innovative ideas and solutions for the social economy, a concept that has been put into
practice over the last years and that is particularly connected with the creation of new innovative
businesses in the social sector, as a more efficient and immediate way to meet unsatisfied social
needs at a local, nation, or international level.

However, even with innovative entrepreneurial ideas in the social sector gaining increased
attention at EU level, driven by the desire to change, the challenges of the 21 century (e.g.,
st
migrant crisis, environmental change, youth unemployment, increased elderly population, etc.)
and a profound digital transformation of society, the fact is that social enterprises and
entrepreneurs in Europe still lack visibility and have high demands for specific skills related with
innovation and business development & sustainability, struggling to grow and become less
dependent on public funding or private donations and, thus of restricted impact (Social
Innovation Exchange).

The Social Business Initiative has thus identified a ‘set of actions to make a real difference and
improve the situation on the ground for social enterprises and entrepreneurs. One of those is
access to EU education and training programmes. Education and training for existing and future
social entrepreneurs with innovative ideas is thus critical to promote capacity building and
upskilling in a sector that needs to balance a positive social impact with market potential and
profit.

In this context, the INNO4CHANGE – Empowering innovation and entrepreneurship skills on social
entrepreneurs Erasmus+ project aims to harness the potential of future social entrepreneurs by
developing innovation, entrepreneurship, and business skills, to support them to be more business
and innovation-oriented and generate an effective social impact. Additionally, it intends to
capacitate Vocational Educational and Training (VET) providers and professionals who work with
them to integrate those topics in their programmes and curricula.

INNO4CHANGE: Empowering innovation and entrepreneurship skills on social entrepreneurs