The Network will present an opportunity to learn about and accelerate new ways of collaborative working in order to tackle the underlying causes of our shared social challenges, increasingly prevalent in recent years.
Although the precise structure and governance of the Network are still to be discussed, the Network could focus on a number of areas:
Working within the university community to raise awareness about the importance of social innovation and explore its relevance for areas such as impact, civic engagement and knowledge exchange;
Defining concepts and strategic activities including advocacy, capacity-building, communications etc.;
Engaging with the Ecosystem - working with stakeholders to define gaps and needs, financial instruments etc.;
Informing national/Regional Strategies - working with policymakers to characterise new approaches, recommend actions and benchmark initiatives;
Monitoring Quality– working with social innovators to define impact metrics and monitor case studies;
Replicating and upscaling – identifying and working with social innovations for potential replication and upscaling.
At this stage the Network would be informal, with the potential to create something more formalised in the future if resources were available and that was deemed appropriate.
Depending on numbers we may create breakout rooms so that everyone has a chance to make their opinions heard.