SOCIAL INNOVATION

economy projects, one thing is clear: there’s a process of change going on. Social innovation has always been a hall- mark of our society and is closely linked with technological in- novation. The EU project SI-DRIVE (Social Innovation – Driving Force of Social Change) has set itself the ambitious goal of looking at various theoretical concepts and to further develop the theory of social innovation based on empirical data in col- laboration with leading scientific partners. Social innovation both in Europe and throughout the world will be analysed and processed in a database. “Our objective is to determine what social innovation represents in different countries and policy

umerous initiatives, which often venture into unchar- ted territory, have recently created a stir. Whether it’s urban gardening, community power stations or shared

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FROM SMALL PURCHASE GROUPS AND SHARED ECONOMY PROJECTS TO 100 YEARS OF SOCIAL HOUSING IN VIENNA. AIT ADDRESSES THE ISSUE OF SOCIAL INNOVATION (SI) IN TWO EU PROJECTS.

Urban gardening is part of a change process. AIT explores the underlying theory of social innovation in an EU project.

ECONOMIC SPACE FOR SOCIAL INNOVATION

AIT is involved in the EU project CRESSI (Creating Economic Space for Social Innovation), which is examining the economic and social basis for social innovation. The project is particularly looking at how the si- tuation of marginalised people can be improved by means of political and social measures. What are the drivers of, and barriers to, social innovation in various settings and how can their impact be measured? AIT is particularly involved in case studies on social housing and par- ticipative health research and also investigates the interaction bet- ween social and technological innovation.

The “Social Innovation 2015” conference due to take place in Vienna from 18–20 November 2015 will provide a platform for discussing the results from both, the CRESSI and the SI-Drive project.

www.si-drive.eu