[{"command":"openDialog","selector":"#drupal-modal","settings":null,"data":"\u003Cdiv id=\u0022republish_modal_form\u0022\u003E\u003Cform class=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form ecl-form\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 action=\u0022\/en\/article\/modal\/9433\u0022 method=\u0022post\u0022 id=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 accept-charset=\u0022UTF-8\u0022\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHorizon articles can be republished for free under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EYou must give appropriate credit. We ask you to do this by:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 1) Using the original journalist\u0027s byline\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 2) Linking back to our original story\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 3) Using the following text in the footer: This article was originally published in \u003Ca href=\u0027#\u0027\u003EHorizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003ESee our full republication guidelines \u003Ca href=\u0027\/horizon-magazine\/republish-our-stories\u0027\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EHTML for this article, including the attribution and page view counter, is below:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-form-item form-item js-form-type-textarea form-item-body-content js-form-item-body-content ecl-form-group ecl-form-group--text-area form-no-label ecl-u-mv-m\u0022\u003E\n \n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n \u003Ctextarea data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 aria-describedby=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 id=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 name=\u0022body_content\u0022 rows=\u00225\u0022 cols=\u002260\u0022 class=\u0022form-textarea ecl-text-area\u0022\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EHelping social innovators scale up in size and impact\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003ESocial innovators find new ways to look at long-standing social problems.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EAs an example, most approaches to homelessness focus on issues like emergency accommodation, drug addiction or mental health services. It\u2019s only when a homeless person has passed through systems like these that permanent housing might be considered.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EA housing pilot programme conducted by nonprofits \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.focusireland.ie\/\u0022\u003EFocus Ireland\u003C\/a\u003E and the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/pmvtrust.ie\/housing\/housing-first\/\u0022\u003EPeter McVerry Trust\u003C\/a\u003E in Ireland between 2014 and 2019 was designed to flip this on its head. Building on innovative housing models already demonstrated elsewhere, Housing First sought to place homeless people in housing and then later, worry about all the other services.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EThe experiment saw 86% of tenants remain in their apartments and off the streets. It demonstrated that by first housing homeless people, you establish a base for dealing with other issues. The Irish government is now scaling the idea into a national programme.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EThe issue of homelessness is huge. According to estimates published by the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.feantsa.org\/\u0022\u003EEuropean Federation of National Organisations Working with the Homeless\u003C\/a\u003E (FEANTSA), 700 000 people face homelessness in the EU each night.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018There are a lot of hoops homeless people need to jump through before they can access actual housing,\u2019 said Madeleine Clarke, executive director at Genio, an Irish NGO with a mission to help scale social innovations to solve complex problems.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-text-blue tw-font-bold tw-text-2xl lg:tw-w-1\/2 tw-border-2 tw-border-blue tw-p-12 tw-my-8 lg:tw-m-12 lg:tw--ml-16 tw-float-left\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-text-5xl tw-rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp class=\u0022tw-font-serif tw-italic\u0022\u003EIf certain social innovations that successfully combat the problems our countries face cannot scale, they will have failed.\r\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cfooter\u003E\n \u003Ccite class=\u0022tw-not-italic tw-font-normal tw-text-sm tw-text-black\u0022\u003EMadeleine Clarke, Genio\u003C\/cite\u003E\n \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EThe innovative \u2018housing-first\u2019 approach received government funding and is being scaled across Ireland. Genio is involved in scaling the social innovation \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.genio.ie\/films\/housing-first-in-ireland-bob-jordan-ceo-the-housing-agency\u0022\u003Efrom pilot to national programme\u003C\/a\u003E. Yet many social innovations remain small-scale and bound to their local contexts with a limited capacity to create an impact.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ENovel ideas\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003ESocial innovations are novel ideas for products, services and systems that meet social needs in a fair and inclusive way. Just transitions depend on social innovation. But it\u2019s not always possible to grow an idea to reach its full potential.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Many successful innovations could be very useful when scaled, but today they aren\u0027t,\u2019 said Clarke, who agrees that the conditions aren\u2019t always there for social innovations to grow beyond their origins. \u2018If certain social innovations that successfully combat the problems our countries face cannot scale, they will have failed,\u2019 she said.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-text-blue tw-font-bold tw-text-2xl lg:tw-w-1\/2 tw-border-2 tw-border-blue tw-p-12 tw-my-8 lg:tw-m-12 lg:tw--ml-16 tw-float-left\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-text-5xl tw-rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp class=\u0022tw-font-serif tw-italic\u0022\u003EWe need to employ vulnerable people, but our clients also require us to be fast and efficient. Balance is critical.\r\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cfooter\u003E\n \u003Ccite class=\u0022tw-not-italic tw-font-normal tw-text-sm tw-text-black\u0022\u003EValeria Valotto, Progetto Quid\u003C\/cite\u003E\n \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EThere are two main reasons for this absence according to Clarke. A shortage of funding and a lack of capacity because scaling requires a shift in mind-set and skills.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ESocial enterprise\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EOne initiative that has successfully managed to scale up is the Italian fashion brand \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.progettoquid.com\/en\/\u0022\u003EProgetto QUID\u003C\/a\u003E. They are a social enterprise that uses excess fabric to make high-end clothes. In the process, it creates employment opportunities for vulnerable groups, particularly women. Out of 131 employees, 86% are women, and more than 60% come from excluded groups.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EToday they operate ten stores, run a thriving e-commerce operation and partner with big brands such as IKEA, Unilever and L\u2019Oreal.\u0026nbsp;But scaling up hasn\u2019t always been easy according to Valeria Valotto, head of public affairs and fundraising at Progetto Quid.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018We need to employ vulnerable people, but our clients also require us to be fast and efficient,\u2019 she said. \u2018Achieving this balance is critical. It requires finding the right senior staff and technical coordinators that can improve our workers\u0027 skills. But attracting these people has been a difficult journey.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EPeople\u2019s robot\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EAn EU-funded project that is beginning its journey to market is called \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.researchgate.net\/project\/ROBOHARSH-Robotic-workstation-in-harsh-environmental-conditions-to-improve-safety-in-the-steel-industry\u0022\u003EROBOHARSH\u003C\/a\u003E. It aims to work with technicians to improve working conditions in the steel industry. Their target is a specific maintenance process, a harsh task typically performed by two people on the steel shop floor wearing full protective gear.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018It takes on average 20 to 30 minutes, which is spent in a very unpleasant environment,\u2019 said Valentina Colla, coordinator of the ROBOHARSH project, which designed a robotic workstation that performs the task.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018As an engineer you tend to look at this as a technical problem that needs to be solved,\u2019 said Colla.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EBut the ROBOHARSH design framework took a participatory approach by taking into consideration the views of the operators and stakeholders.\u0026nbsp;\u2018It was quite a positive change for me,\u2019 she said, \u2018But there\u2019s also a strong social component to it.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EThey reduced costs and the operators went on to become supervisors. For ROBOHARSH, the scaling-up step means adapting the design to different situations.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECommon challenges\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Cities face common challenges,\u2019 said Jem McKenna-Percy, senior manager at the Greater London Authority and partnership lead of \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.sharingcities.eu\/\u0022\u003ESharing Cities\u003C\/a\u003E. They work with municipal governments to address challenges common to many European cities.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EBy addressing some of today\u2019s most pressing urban challenges such as urban mobility, renewable energy and community engagement, Sharing Cities has the goal to make cities more liveable.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EThe success of an e-bike pilot scheme in Lisbon, Portugal, prompted the local government to expand the scheme. Today they have 2 000 e-bikes in operation, which is expected to climb to 4 000 in the next few years, and the city also expanded its investment in bike lanes. The results of these types of projects were in turn shared among participating cities so that other cities could replicate their successes.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EThe project initially invested \u20ac24.5 million in the creation of an evidence base and business models which could then be applied in a scaling-up process. Following that, it mushroomed.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Follow-up funding by the city governments reached \u20ac265 million after they saw the success of the initial projects,\u2019 said McKenna-Percy.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Ch5\u003EThe research in this article was funded by the EU. If you liked this article, please consider sharing it on social media.\u003C\/h5\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-bg-bluelightest tw-p-12 tw-my-12 tw--mx-16\u0022\u003E\n \u003Ch3 class=\u0022tw-font-sans tw-font-bold tw-text-blue tw-uppercase tw-text-lg tw-mb-8\u0022\u003EEuropean Social Innovation Catalyst Fund\u003C\/h3\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-inline-block tw-w-1\/6 tw-h-1 tw-bg-blue tw-mb-8\u0022\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EThe opening of a Horizon Europe call to set up a \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ec.europa.eu\/info\/funding-tenders\/opportunities\/portal\/screen\/opportunities\/topic-details\/horizon-miss-2022-socialcat-01-01;callCode=null;freeTextSearchKeyword=social%20innovation;matchWholeText=true;typeCodes=1,0;statusCodes=31094501,31094502,31094503;programmePeriod=null;programCcm2Id=null;programDivisionCode=null;focusAreaCode=null;destination=null;mission=null;geographicalZonesCode=null;programmeDivisionProspect=null;startDateLte=null;startDateGte=null;crossCuttingPriorityCode=null;cpvCode=null;performanceOfDelivery=null;sortQuery=sortStatus;orderBy=asc;onlyTenders=false;topicListKey=topicSearchTablePageState \u0022\u003EEuropean Social Innovation Catalyst Fund\u003C\/a\u003E backs the scaling of social innovations that have already proven to be successful. The fund will support the development of detailed implementation plans aimed at reducing, or overcoming, social challenges. The objective is to support the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ec.europa.eu\/info\/research-and-innovation\/funding\/funding-opportunities\/funding-programmes-and-open-calls\/horizon-europe\/eu-missions-horizon-europe_en\u0022\u003EHorizon Europe Missions\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp; in addressing some of Europe\u2019s most pressing social challenges by providing funding and organisational support.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003C\/textarea\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n \u003Cdiv id=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 class=\u0022ecl-help-block description\u0022\u003E\n Please copy the above code and embed it onto your website to republish.\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cinput autocomplete=\u0022off\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022form-gdfqfs79mtx31xpvismgjmjeddzlz35eimpylhakcjy\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_build_id\u0022 value=\u0022form-GDFQfS79Mtx31XPviSMgJmjEDdzLZ35EImPYlhaKcJY\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003Cinput data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_id\u0022 value=\u0022modal_form_example_modal_form\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003C\/form\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E","dialogOptions":{"width":"800","modal":true,"title":"Republish this content"}}]