SEED

The SEED – Social innovation EcosystEm Development project, funded by the European Employment and Social Innovation Program (EaSI), aims to establish four Centers of Competence for Social Innovation in partner countries (Italy, Greece, Romania, Slovenia). The role of these Centers is to support the national managing authorities of the European Social Fund in integrating a social innovation-oriented approach in the public sector and in the implementation of ESF+ operational programs.
The four Centers of Competence have the ambition to network with each other and with similar organizations that are emerging in other EU member countries, to share methodologies, approaches, best practices, know-how. Each center-through the analysis of national needs and challenges-then focuses through pilot projects on national priorities including innovation in public administration in the Italian case, strengthening links between stakeholders in Greece, promoting the culture of technological and digital innovation in Slovenia, and supporting local communities in Romania.

European partners

Comune di Torino (IT – capofila); Politecnico di Milano (IT), Università di Bologna (IT), Politecnico di Torino (IT), Fondazione Brodolini (IT), EURICSE (IT), Fondazione Italia Sociale (IT), Ministero dello Sviluppo Economico e Tecnologico (SI), Center Noordung (SI), Hashnet (SI), Soncna zadruga (SI), Ministero del Lavoro e Affari Sociali (GR), Agenzia di Sviluppo di Karditsa (GR), Scify (GR), Kollectiva (GR), Grupul de Consultanță pentru Dezvoltare (RO).

The project in Torino

Turin within the framework of SEED once again sees its role as a city at the forefront of social innovation policies and practices recognized, thanks in part to a rich local ecosystem represented by, among other things, the Torino Social Impact initiative, which has more than 100 stakheolders.
The process leading therefore to the creation of an Italian Center of Competence for Social Innovation involves a broad involvement of actors and organizations at the local and national levels. The aim is both to enhance already existing and recognized skills and to offer tools for training, learning, exchange and growth.
In a long-term perspective downstream of the SEED project’s two years of activity, Turin should therefore become the operational headquarters of the Competence Center.

Practical steps

The City of Turin, as project leader, leads the Italian partnership involving universities, foundations and research organizations, in the creation of the Competence Center to support the managing authorities of the European Social Fund.
For Italy, it is planned to develop a Design Policy Lab based on innovative models of public-private partnership as an effective tool to deliver public services, and specifically to enable European Social Fund managing authorities to co-design with the whole ecosystem of actors involved the policies to be implemented in the next operational programs. The City of Turin provides experience in designing and managing collaborative and co-design processes for innovation policies and programs developed in recent years.
The project, at the Italian level, is supported by a Steering Committee involving ANPAL, AdG Pon Metro and AdG PON Inclusion. The role of this body is to ensure strategic guidance for the project, as well as the sustainability of the Hundred of Competence even after SEED’s conclusion.

Numbers

• 4 Centers of Competence for Social Innovation
• 16 partners from 4 EU countries
• 38 associated partners
• € 900,000.00 budget for the project
• 2 years of activity