We are a public-private association, cooperating to build a better world for people and the planet, boosting social innovation in Navarre. Our work revolves around connecting up our partners to generate conversations and networks and bring technological innovation to persons and social challenges.
It is a pioneering and transcendent action, which implies the creation, for the first time in the Region, of a reference entity to promote economic initiatives that generate a positive social impact in Navarra. Our region, like others in the world, faces complex social challenges, such as employment, aging, social cohesion and climate change. New challenges require new solutions, so it is necessary to innovate as a society and find viable and sustainable solutions to these great challenges. Technological and business innovation are very valuable and necessary, but in order to build a new economic and social model, it is essential to complement them with social innovation processes
Our mission is to help address this profound transformation, in line with the change in the economic model that is occurring in the most advanced regions of the planet. And the way to approach it is through listening, collaborative work and practical action with the core development and innovation actors in Navarre: economic agents and society as a whole.
The Unit started its activity last June and, in a first phase, it has analyzed the main elements of Social Innovation Centers of worldwide reference in different countries (United Kingdom, Finland, Australia, Germany, Canada, Denmark, South Korea…); the model of the Unit for Navarre has been defined; and the identification of Social Innovation projects that can generate economic activity, transformation and positive social impact has begun.
We work with the society of Navarre to generate systemic and structural changes that promote an innovative, social and sustainable economic development. We contribute to advance towards an economic model for, with and of the people. We detect, co-design, promote and implement Social Innovation projects, creating new businesses and economic activity. But the final objective is not the projects, but the structural change that they generate.
The Social Innovation Unit, made up of 18 partners, works across disciplines and revolves around projects that extend the social innovation focus and methodology with Departments from the Government of Navarre and agents from the ecosystem supporting innovation and entrepreneurship. As well as liaising with companies and entrepreneurs, we have begun to work with 32 agents from our ecosystem.
The Social Innovation Unit was born as an important action of the Integral Plan for Social Economy 2017-2020 of the Government of Navarra, prepared by the General Directorate of Economic and Business and Labor Policy with the collaboration of CEPES Navarra. The Social Economy is a very suitable platform to launch the Social Innovation Unit. The European Committee of Regions itself states that “social innovation can be successfully promoted through the social economy, social economy initiatives contribute to increase social, economic and territorial cohesion.
Later, in June 2020, it was set up as a public-private association made up of 18 founders (ADITECH, Public University of Navarre, University of Navarre, ASPACE, ADACEN, TASUBINSA, Gure Sustraiak, Tudela Comparte, HydroRubber, CO2 Revolution, ARPA, Lacturale, Tesicnor, Josenea. Das Nano, UCAN and ANEL and the Government of Navarre) and its main work areas were determined as people (#UiS_SALUD), the planet (#UiS_EARTH) and prosperity (#UiS_AMETS).
Our mission is to help address this profound transformation, in line with the change in the economic model that is occurring in the most advanced regions of the planet. And the way to approach it is through listening, collaborative work and practical action with the core development and innovation actors in Navarre: economic agents and society as a whole.
We would like the Social Innovation Unit of Navarre to become a consolidated benchmark agent that is integrated in the Global Innovation ecosystem where it acts as a node promoting significant projects and generating valuable knowledge on social innovation.
Co-create with people in an botton-up direction, always respecting diversity and freedom of choice.
Contribute to generate significant changes, work with rigor and commitment to create employment and real impact. Create new realities.
Build extended team to contribute to the rest of the agents of the ecosystem, promoting intercooperation.
