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Fostering social innovation in Europe

The EU-funded CRAFT project is giving Europe’s social entrepreneurs the tools to make a difference.

Europe’s social challenges require innovative solutions. Social entrepreneurship has therefore become a priority in Europe. However, there are significant differences across local ecosystems. Whereas some countries are focusing on systems thinking, others are still exploring and defining the concept of social entrepreneurship. To address these disparities, the CRAFT project is developing a core toolbox centred around four main areas: business tools, team tools, impact tools and financial tools. Specifically tailored for social entrepreneurship, these ready-to-use tools are designed to support the four Ps of sustainability: people, planet, profit and purpose. The ultimate aim is to empower social entrepreneurs, changemakers and innovators to make a real difference in their communities.

A summit of knowledge

The project’s most important achievement so far has been the successful completion of its first policy summit. This event marked the culmination of a year’s collaborative efforts to grasp the social innovation ecosystem’s needs and challenges. Held on 4 July 2024, the online summit drew over 90 participants and more than 130 additional individuals who were interested in joining the discussions. “The summit was a testimony of what we are building in CRAFT – fostering an inclusive and collaborative approach by bringing together public and private entities, SMEs, NGOs, networks, and both for-profit and not-for-profit organisations, researchers and universities,” comments Lucia Radu, senior programme manager at Impact Hub Global Network and CRAFT project coordinator. “The summit convened speakers from the European Commission, the OECD, Impact Hub Network, Enterprise Europe Network, Euclid network, Toulouse Métropole, Kooperationen Denmark, Mouvement Impact France, TU Dortmund University, Earthbound Sneakers and CED Romania. This highlights the importance of involving a diverse range of stakeholders to build a robust and supportive community.” The CRAFT team is currently focusing on improving its set of curated tools, the upgraded versions of which will be available on the project’s digital platform. Once the tools have been improved, they will be tested to assess their impact and effectiveness. The findings will be presented at the second policy summit scheduled for June 2025. By 2026, CRAFT (European Action for Social Entrepreneurship Support) will have established a large, diverse community of stakeholders and created a digital environment rich with tools designed to accelerate the work of social economy stakeholders. “CRAFT’s legacy and indirect impact will be a more connected and empowered social economy, capable of driving positive change on a global scale,” concludes Radu. If you are interested in having your project featured as a ‘Project of the Month’ in an upcoming issue, please send us an email to editorial@cordis.europa.eu and tell us why!

Keywords

CRAFT, social entrepreneurship, social innovation, entrepreneur, sustainability