European Social Innovation Competition

About the Competition

Launched for the first time in 2013 in memory of social innovation pioneer Diogo Vasconcelos, the European Social Innovation Competition is a Competition run annually by the European Commission across all EU Member States and Horizon Europe associated countries*.

*The eligibility of applicants established in Horizon Europe associated countries will be assessed according to rules introduced in Annex III of the EIC 2021 Work Programme

Have a look at the launch video of the 2021 Edition of the Competition.

For more information about the 2021 Competition, visit the official website HERE.

Objective

The European Social Innovation Competition acts as a beacon for social innovators across Europe, employing a proven methodology for:

• Supporting early-stage business ideas through training activities, workshops and dedicated coaching;
• Supporting the three best socially innovative projects through three €50,000 prizes awarded directly by the European Commission;
• Enabling and fostering the impact generated by successful participants through the provision of further training and mentoring support;
• Facilitating a network of radical innovators shaping a greener, wealthier and more inclusive European society.

The 2021 edition of the Competition, ‘Skills for Tomorrow’, is looking for scalable social innovations that will contribute to job creation, growth and European competitiveness by helping people, businesses and industries identify, develop and strengthen the skills that will power the European economy’s green and digital future. The Competition is open to early stage ideas that tackle challenges relating to the transition to either, or both, futures including but not limited to identifying and mapping skills gaps as well as approaches to development and training that will support people to reskill or upskill. All solutions must work towards sustainability, taking into consideration their own environmental impact.

Our role

In collaboration with the consortium partners, Euclid Network will curate the Competition innovator support package, bringing not only extensive expertise in working with social innovators but also a highly relevant network of social enterprise support organisations across Europe to supplement and support the design and delivery. 

In the design of the support package, Euclid Network will draw on its long history of designing and implementing tailored support to social innovators and entrepreneurs, while ensuring enough opportunity for the peers to spend time with each other to network and create a flourishing community.

In collaboration with the consortium partners, Euclid Network will focus on impact becoming an explicit component of the Competition – supporting an increased emphasis on impact measurement and implementation with a series of public impact reports strengthening the consortium’s ability to report on the Competition’s impact year-on-year.