The Impact of Scientific and Knowledge-Based Approaches on the Work of National Competence Centres
On 10 –12 September, the National Competence Centres Working Group under the ESF+ Community of Practice on Social Innovation and Transnational Calls Team, in collaboration with the Swedish National Competence Centre, organised the third mutual learning event, ‘Advancing Social Innovation through Collaboration and Knowledge Sharing’, in Malmö, Sweden.
Anna Tengqvist, Coordinator of Forum for Social Innovation Sweden, highlighted the importance of the event: ‘Social innovation is about understanding and creating better solutions to our complex societal challenges. To achieve this, we need a deeper and broader understanding of these challenges. That’s why it’s important to find an effective way to involve academia and researchers in the work of the National Competence Centres (NCCs) in a way that’s meaningful both for the competence centres and academia.’
The mutual learning event explored scientific and knowledge-based approaches to addressing complex societal challenges. Participants also exchanged experiences and lessons learned from ESF+ implementation. The NCCs’ representatives had the opportunity to visit innovative social projects in Sweden and participate in peer learning, collaborative workshops, and strategic discussions on the future of social innovation.
Applying Scientific Knowledge to Empower NCCs in Solving Societal Challenges
Social innovations have their roots in a wide range of social contexts. The inspiration, ideas, and solutions behind successful social innovations particularly benefit from co-creative settings, in which actors from diverse social domains collaborate. Academia plays a crucial role in this regard – both in understanding contextual factors and the effects of innovation ecosystems, and in providing methodologies for measuring social innovations and their impact.
For National Competence Centres academic institutions serve as key knowledge producers, enabling them to learn from others and to better comprehend the reasons behind the success or failure of social innovations. However, academia has long since moved beyond this foundational role. Increasingly, it is assuming greater social responsibility, acting as a strong anchor within local and regional communities.
In co-creative settings, members of higher education institutions (HEIs) are progressively adopting the role of co-innovators. Students act as idea generators, developing solutions through challenge-based learning formats. In social innovation labs, scientists and students collaborate with committed individuals from public administration, civil society, and the business sector to develop socially innovative approaches – either as co-innovators or as facilitators.
Daniel Krüger, Research Associate, Social Research Center, TU Dortmund University, reflected: ‘For several years, action research has also significantly contributed to the testing of socially innovative approaches, often in experimental contexts such as living labs. This potential must be fully realised, and the contribution of academia must be further integrated into the work of the National Competence Centres, to effectively promote the scaling, diffusion, and institutionalisation of social innovations.’
The Role of Academia in the Swedish National Competence Centre
The Swedish National Competence Centre (NCC) is situated in academia, as it is coordinated by Malmö University via its Forum for Social Innovation Sweden. This provides a solid organisational and scientific base for the NCC. However, it also poses certain challenges in lowering the threshold for actors from other societal sectors to participate in the NCC.
The Swedish NCC conducts continuous analysis and learning at the project, program, and system levels of its operations. This includes cluster evaluations, annual analysis reports, thematic reports, conference presentations, and continuous input to NCC planning, activities, and follow-ups.
Researchers from multiple disciplines and universities are involved in the NCC as part of the core work team, the scientific reference group, and as conference presenters or discussants. Their task is to provide knowledge on social innovation theory and other topical themes, as well as to ensure the scientific quality of NCC operations.
These researchers contribute established knowledge on social innovation, including definitions, the process of social innovation, ecosystems of social innovation, and cross-sectoral co-creation.
They also support joint knowledge development on the process from societal challenge to societal change in ESF projects, organisational and societal readiness to profit from project results, the relation between the project, program, and system levels in the ESF, as well as the ESF’s impact of and on the Swedish welfare system.
Shared Challenges, Shared Solutions: Concrete Proposals and Tools for Practical Implementation
The team of the European Competence Centre for Social Innovation is distinguished by its commitment to fostering networking and knowledge-sharing across Europe. To engage participants with similar experiences – enabling the exchange of knowledge, as well as emotional, social, and practical support in a non-judgemental environment – the Peer Support method was used during the workshop.
In this session, 59 participants were invited to present specific challenges faced by their National Competence Centres, with the aim of receiving suggestions and recommendations from peers who had encountered similar issues. The group was divided into four tables, each hosting two rounds of discussion. In the first round, half of the participants presented their individual challenges, while the remaining members offered comments, ideas, and possible solutions. In the second round, the roles were reversed: those who had previously listened and contributed now presented their own challenges.
For example, participants exchanged concrete proposals for strengthening engagement with Managing Authorities – illustrating how NCCs can support the achievement of programme objectives – as well as ideas for diversifying funding sources and developing impact assessment mechanisms.
‘This peer support approach was highly valued by participants, as it provided a structured yet open space to collaboratively explore practical solutions to specific, real-world challenges. The method not only fostered a sense of shared purpose and solidarity but also delivered tangible insights that participants can apply in the immediate future to strengthen their centres’ work,’ said Gorka Espiau, Lead Thematic Expert for the National Competence Centres Working Group.
Conclusion
This mutual learning event in Malmö, Sweden, demonstrated that the NCCs are making collaborative progress and that discussions are becoming increasingly operational and concrete.
The participants now know each other personally, which has helped to create an atmosphere of trust and learning. Discussions on the role of the scientific community were highly valued, as practical modes of collaboration had previously been unclear, and the meeting produced concrete examples of how the scientific community [/academia] can contribute to the digitisation strategy or the mapping of key agents.
The event also provided an opportunity to explore the prospect of experimentation portfolios, rather than promoting single-point solutions. The study visits helped to expand the catalogue of good practices.
Finally, the NCCs prepared contributions to the European Union’s new agenda for resilience and competitiveness, which will be presented and discussed at the Social Innovation Forum 2025 in Brussels – marking yet another step forward in the institutionalisation and impact of social innovation across Europe.