SIMPACT - The Project

SIMPACT's theoretical and empirical work is framed around the following focal research questions that fundamentally affect social innovations' potential and scope plus its economic and social impact:

  • Which enablers and characteristics substantiate social innovations' contribution to productivity and competitiveness facilitating smart and inclusive growth? And what are their specific cultural, economic, spatial and social contexts?
  • Which business models are most appropriate for instigating, improving, resourcing, sustaining as well as scaling and diffusing social innovation?
  • How can the economic and social impact of social innovation be measured?
  • Which policy frameworks (including modes of policy production and public policy instruments)
    best support the acceleration of social innovation impact and help to ensure coordination of social innovation-supporting policies across governance levels?
  • How can policies, programmes and initiatives best be evaluated to monitor their social and economic impact?
  • How can social innovation stakeholders better cope with innovation related uncertainties (e.g.
    acceptance, opportunities for scaling and diffusion, regulative and financial framework etc.)?

WP8 - Continuous Stakeholder Dialogue WP7 - SI Impact Assessment WP6 - Public Policy Instruments WP5 - SI Indiactor Sets WP4 - Stronger SI Concepts WP3 - Collecting Evidence WP2 - SI Behaviour Scenarios WP1 - Framing the Scene Tools - Overview Concepts - Overview Collecting Evidence - Overview Theorising - Overview

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To answer these hitherto open research questions SIMPACT's concept of an integrated learning cycle combines theoretical and empirical research with applied research to support policy makers, innovators (including civil society) and investors at organisational, institutional and strategic level to successfully accelerate social innovations throughout their lifecycle.

SIMPACT links

  • 1the theoretical foundation of the economic dimensions of social innovation in the interaction of markets, public sector and institutions with
  • 2the collection of empirical evidence to be translated into
  • 3stronger social innovation concepts facilitating improvements for spread and growth as well as
  • 4methods, tools and instruments supporting social innovation stakeholders.
  • 5Modelling and testing will validate the developed concepts, tools and instruments and help stakeholders to better cope with social innovation related uncertainties.
  • 6A continuous stakeholder dialogue will facilitate learning and processes of co-creation by integrating actors' views into SIMPACT's research activities.
  • 7The targeted and informed interplay of these six building blocks will contribute to increase the economic and social impact of social innovation, and therewith unfold their potential for smart and inclusive growth.

Basic Information

SIMPACT Basic Info

Coordinator

Institute for Work and Technology

Research Department

Innovation, Space & Culture
Judith TERSTRIEP
Munscheidstr. 14
D-45886 Gelsenkirchen

+49 209.17 07 - 139
terstriep@iat.eu