The Center of Knowledge for Social Innovation

- What was the main motivation for setting up the National Laboratory for Social Innovation?

At Eötvös Loránd University, we have long found that innovations in many fields, such as special needs education, media or linguistics, are difficult to develop with the classic toolkit of technological innovation. Therefore, there is a need for a new methodological, financial and professional framework that can specifically support the completion of social innovation developments.

- Is the field of technological and non-technological innovations so different?

In fact, it is not. Although they require different approaches, they are connected in a certain way. For example, self-driving cars, new environmental technologies, but also innovative digital solutions will not work without human participation and without social innovation models developed in harmony with technology. Plenty of legal, sociological, psychological and other research and development is needed to make these new paradigms a reality in a truly optimal way.

- Does Eötvös Loránd University have other partners in this mission?

Yes, and fortunately this circle of collaborators is getting wider. It is excellent that the laboratory was established in partnership with the University of Miskolc, the University of Pannonia and the Harp Foundation. We have started cooperating with more and more decisive knowledge centres in Hungary, and we are even beyond the first international opponent’s evaluation. Dialogue has also started with civil society organizations, businesses and public bodies, and the first pilot innovation projects will be launched in the second half of the year with these partners. At the same time, it is very important that the development policy also pays special attention to our operation, and it also shapes proposals and needs that can help our work. And without the professional support of the National Office for Research, Development and Innovation, we certainly would not have gotten this far.

- What are the current focus tasks?

We would like to report on our achievements at the end of June, on the Innovation Day of Eötvös Loránd University, and here is a summary of our current tasks from our partners.

University of Pannonia

The term 'social innovation' appeared in the 2000s, but is still little known, and its conceptual framework is also plastic. TINLAB's mission is to develop a detailed definition and content framework for this undoubtedly well-sounding term - in a broad social partnership, of course. As a first step, a theoretical framework has been developed that structures the possible focus areas of social innovation. (This was developed by the Survey Working Group based on the preliminary topics of the consortium members, Horizon 2020, Horizon Europe (HE), as well as the literature and the results of previous university innovation competitions.) These focus areas are defined by several so-called clusters, to which additional - detailed - dimensions and subdimensions belong. The clusters created are digitization, culture and creativity, local development and governance, environmental innovation and climate, social well-being, the future of work, human systems, social innovation management. Based on the matrix created this way, a research plan was then prepared to assess the needs, to identify the specific focus areas of the thematic and target group, and to determine the range of target groups and collaborators. As part of this, focus group interviews were organized and conducted in the 8 clusters with nearly 60 participants. The working group then started preparing the questionnaire, which will be conducted in June.

University of Miskolc

One of the basic tasks of TINLAB is to develop a general concept of social innovation and the accompanying White Book. Based on these, the aim of TINLAB is to formulate a legislative proposal. The preparation of the implementation of the above goals is carried out by the Definition Working Group, the results of which have been presented so far on May 7 at the international event of the Strategy of Social Innovation in English and Hungarian.In addition to the above, the workshop further improved the concept of the White Book and the general concept of social innovation developed so far and presented it for an initial social debate. To this end, foreign and domestic experts evaluated the work done so far in a scientific discussion. Invited speakers included leading researchers from several renowned European institutions, such as the Technische Universität Dortmund, the University of Neuchatel, the University of Kocaeli or the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. In addition, the Hungarian authorities dealing with the topic also took part in the meeting, in representation of the University of Pécs, the University of Debrecen and the University of Miskolc, among others. The event can be viewed on the Youtube channel of the Faculty of Law of the University of Miskolc. The written materials of the lectures are expected to be published in the journal European Integration Studies.

Harp Foundation 

In the recent period, TINLAB's long-term partnership and target group collaborations have also been established, in a more open and broader form than usual. One of the most important factors in the project is precisely the scientific result that this multifaceted partnership will put on the map over the years. The main driving force for the development of thematic forums and cooperation is the mobilization of the quadruple helix - government, economic actors, academia, civil society. There are actors who can help the work of the Laboratory as a strategic partner, while others, as beneficiaries, will carry out a pilot project aimed at supported social innovation from the second project onwards. Pilot projects that also contribute to the dissemination and multiplication of results provide the essence of TINLAB. Diligence is important, since the selected projects will provide answers to various problems across the country, while their implementation will be conducted under mentorship, and it is going to be monitored continuously. A significant part of the budget provided by financial and non-monetary incentives to these “external” implementers to support valuable, innovative initiatives by social innovation ecosystem actors. Finally, the processed experiences can enrich TINLAB's scientific and professional results and knowledge base.

(The article appeared in Innotéka Magazine in June.)