Social Innovation Ecosystem
The better many different partners work together to solve social and ecological challenges, the more ideas can be turned into feasible business models and companies that contribute to positive social change, so-called “impact ventures”. We are committed to creating a supportive network and ecosystem in which social businesses can grow and develop at their best.
Together with our partners, we are committed to establishing a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship that values social, environmental profit equally or higher than monetary profit. We consult public institutions and companies, create training programmes, build networks and facilitate uncommon alliances between a wide variety of partners. Thus, we develop the power to bring about social change.
Our projects
GRESODI – GREen, SOcial and DIgital transition via local impact ventures
The 2-year GRESODI project, co-funded by the European Social Fund, is based on a partnership between social innovation/social entrepreneurship support organisation to experiment with a new methodology for the creation of new regional social business initiatives or by enriching already existing social innovation activities with green and/or digital elements in Austria, Hungary and Spain, that can be transferred to other local communities in other regions and countries.
The project addresses the needs of social entrepreneurs lacking adequate business models and/or missing out on digital opportunities and green innovations. The challenges are imposed by the fact that entrepreneurship skill development support is an urban phenomenon and that social enterprises are more likely to be established and operate in urban areas. Rural territories face demographic change, depopulation, ecological challenges and significantly fewer social entrepreneurs are to be found in rural areas. Even though women are more represented as founders and managers of social ventures than in classical start-ups, they are still generally underrepresented. Digitalisation and digital skill development are critical challenges that social entrepreneurs face. The GRESODI project specifically aims to develop concepts that are tailor-made to the target groups (social entrepreneurs with special focus on female entrepreneurs, people living in rural areas and micro-entrepreneurs) based on specific analysis.
Project duration:
1 November 2023 – 31 October 2025
Project partners:
- HÁRFA Foundation (HU)(Coordinator)
- Social Business Hub/Club Styria
- Ex Ante (HU)
- DE FACTO Cooperativa (ES)
LearningTogether
The 16-month LearningTogether project financed by the Erasmus+ Programme is implemented by Brodoto (Croatia) and Social Business Hub Styria / SBHS (Austria) between 1 February 2023 and 31 May 2024.
The project aimed to increase knowledge and skills through peer-to-peer learning between the two organisations and thus raising capacities to better support innovative social entrepreneurs in their subsequent incubation programmes. This was done by a systematic exchange of knowledge in the areas each partner. SBHS provided its expertise in social innovation & entrepreneurship and Brodoto shared their knowledge on crowdfunding.
Project duration:
1 February 2023 – 31 May 2024
Project partners:
- Brodoto (HR) (Coordinator)
- Social Business Hub/Club Styria (AT)
RESONATE –
REgional SOcial business iNcubaATors nEtwork
The 24 month RESONATE project aims to connect Regional Social business iNcubaATors from Austria, Spain and Italy in a nEtwork to exchange knowledge on their current practices in relation to providing training, mentoring, coaching activities to social entrepreneurs in their regions (surroundings of Graz, Milan and Barcelona).
Short-term joint staff training session are planned in order to share and discuss good practices and develop competences of 12 trainers, coaches, mentors of the participating organizations. Different methods will be shared in order to improve capacities within the three social business incubators to provide higher quality, more modern training activities, coaching, mentoring to social entrepreneurs. The project will directly result in a small transnational network of regional players in the field of social entrepreneurship with a potential to grow at European level. By developing the key competences of social entrepreneurs, we help them better start up or scale up their businesses and be able to reach higher impact within their operating field, being that either helping people with fewer opportunities, tackling environmental challenges or contributing to the 17 Sustainable Development Goals by the United Nations.
Project duration:
1 October 2020 – 30 September 2022
Project partners:
- Social Business Club Styria (Coordinator)
- Fondazione Giacomo Brodolini S.r.l. (IT)
- DE FACTO Cooperativa (ES)
SWUP – Switch Start-up
The SWUP project aims at organising events to improve connectedness and market reach among participating start-ups.
Targeted and moderated communication and networking will result in possible internationalisation, opening of new market possibilities and business expansion. Work with mentors influence the entrepreneurial know how of the participating start-ups and develop their competencies and competitiveness at the same time.
Project duration:
1 January 2022 – 30 June 2022
Associated partner:
- Krapina-Zagorje County Entrepreneurship Center, Croatia (Coordinator)
- Štajerski Tehnološki Park, Slovenia
- Social Business Club Styria, Austria
ELANET
The European Latin American Network in Support of Social Entrepreneurs (ELANET) has the ambition to become a leading platform in support of social entrepreneurs (SEs).
This project will lead partner universities to implement an IT-based platform that consolidates already existing tools, resources, and coaching material for SEs. The project provide opportunities for an exchange of best practices for the support of SEs. It will make an inventory of available materials and tools and intensify the (inter)national collaboration among SEs, and between SEs, HEIs and network partners to attract resources (funding, coaching, volunteers).
Project duration:
15 January 2021 – 14 January 2024
Associated partner:
- Vrije Universiteit Brussel (Coordinator)
- Universität Graz (Project partner)
- Social Business Club Styria (Associated partner)
TASKFORCOME
The 3-month Sustainable Impact Academy program was developed within the Interreg Central Europe TASKFORCOME project. It provides free of charge online workshops, hands-on work, mentoring, and a social business model competition on the topic of sustainable impact entrepreneurship.
Based on the business idea of the participants, wit the help of mentors from the social entrepreneurship community, the Sustainable Impact Academy offers opportunity to create a social business. The courses develop social entrepreneurial knowledge and skills on social business modelling, financing, legal aspects, impact measurement, intercultural approach. Access to relevant networks and presentation to the public at the end is an important element.
Project duration:
1 March 2019 – 31 August 2021
Associated partner:
- Cracow University of Economics (Coordinator)
- SENA (Project partner)
- Social Business Club Styria (Expert)
BEST – Boosting Entrepreneurial Skills as Tool of Integration of migrants to labour market
The BEST project, funded by the EU AMIF programme, it is a joint endeavour of 8 partners from Austria, Slovenia, Croatia and Italy that have the common motivation to improve the effective integration of third country nationals (TCN) into the labour market through cooperation between public and private institutions.
SBCS is cooperating with gain&sustain:europe, the coordinator of the project and organise a common business brunch aiming to reach out migrant entrepreneurs and integrate them into the social entrepreneurship eco-system of Styria. SBCS also contributed with a lecture and coaching to the pilot social entrepreneurship courses held by FH Joanneum.
Project duration:
1 February 2019 – 31 July 2021
Cooperating partners:
- Gain & Sustain: Europa (Coordinator)
- FH Joanneum (Project partner)
- Social Business Club Styria (Cooperating partner)
