Social Innovation Forum 2026
Join us for the fourth annual Social Innovation Forum 2026, taking place on 7–8 October 2026 in Brussels, Belgium.
This year’s Forum will explore the theme: ‘Building a Common Voice for Social Innovation – bringing together Impact, Evidence, and Success Stories to inspire collective action’.
The event will feature Ms. Roxana Mînzatu, Executive Vice-President for Social Rights and Skills, Quality Jobs and Preparedness at the European Commission.
The Forum brings together ESF+ social innovation stakeholders, including ministries, managing authorities, experts and project operators. The objectives of the Forum are to discuss successful social innovations from various Member States, the opportunities and challenges in terms of further scaling up and scaling wide such innovations, and explore how advocacy can be strengthened through evidence, impact communication, and closer alignment between practice and policy. Discussions will also focus on impact, the value of social innovation and its role in policymaking, as well as funding of social innovation.
Together, we will shape solutions where social innovation is fully recognized as a driving force for sustainable social progress and transformative policy change.
Download Agenda
7 October
8 October
| Time (Local time) | Topic and speaker |
|---|---|
| 08:00 - 09:00 |
Registration
|
| 09:00 - 09:20 |
Welcome Speeches
Roxana Mînzatu,
Executive Vice-President for Social Rights and Skills, Quality Jobs and Preparedness, European Commission
Dr. Laura Girlevičienė,
Director, European Competence Centre for Social Innovation / Lithuanian European Social Fund Agency (ESFA)
|
| 09:20 - 09:30 |
Voice from the Ground: Testimonial from a Beneficiary of Social Innovation
|
| 09:30 - 10:00 |
High-Level Keynotes: From Innovation to Policy Influence
Prof. Jürgen Howaldt,
Director, Social Research Centre, TU Dortmund University
|
| 10:00 - 11:00 |
Panel Discussion: Scaling Impact – From Local to Union-Wide: The Role of Funding Instruments, including the Next Multiannual Financial Framework
Ruth Paserman,
Director - Funds: Programming and Implementation, DG EMPL, European Commission
Pascale Taminiaux Van Laere,
Senior Project Coordinator, Climate, Environment & Biodiversity, King Baudouin Foundation, Belgium
|
| 11:00 - 11:45 |
Coffee Break
|
| 11:45 - 13:30 |
Parallel Activities: Breakout Session 1: Towards Outreach, Prevention and Opportunities
This session explores how social innovation can strengthen social inclusion outcomes, generate robust evidence, and reinforce the strategic value of ESF+. Drawing on concrete cases, it will demonstrate how innovative solutions deliver impact across interconnected policy areas by breaking the cycle of social exclusion through the power of early prevention, meaningful opportunities, and targeted outreach for highly vulnerable groups, while addressing future priorities for transnational and multi-level cooperation and investment under the next MFF. The audience will learn how these innovative approaches actively boost employment, strengthen social cohesion, and enable independent living. Linking practice to policy, the session will examine how social innovation strengthens the evidence base and supports policy learning at both national and EU levels. It will also explore emerging priorities for transnational collaboration, holistic approach, and future investment under the next MFF, aiming to foster opportunities for more coordinated, scalable, and inclusive approaches.
|
| 11:45 - 13:30 |
Parallel Activities: Breakout Session 2: From Impact Evaluation to Action: Better Decisions for Social Innovation
How can evaluation – and particularly impact evaluation – strengthen evidence-informed decision-making at the national, regional and local levels? This session explores the answer through practical examples from ESF+-supported initiatives. Participants will discover how evaluation can generate actionable evidence to improve interventions, inform funding and policy decisions, and support the adaptation and scaling of social innovation initiatives that promote social inclusion, employment and skills development. The session concludes with a panel discussion on lessons from practice, emerging developments in impact evaluation, and opportunities for stronger collaboration between the EU and Member States to strengthen the use of evaluation in social innovation.
|
| 11:45 - 13:30 |
Parallel Activities: Breakout session 3: The Added Value of Social Innovation for ESF+: Evidence from Practice in Supporting Inclusion and Addressing Poverty
Drawing on evidence from practical experiences from across Europe, this session will explore the added value of social innovation in advancing ESF+ priorities, particularly in supporting social inclusion and addressing poverty. Through concrete examples, participants will discuss how experimentation, cross-sector partnerships, integrated approaches and the meaningful involvement of stakeholders contribute to more effective and responsive solutions to complex social challenges. The session will also reflect on how these experiences can inform future ESF+ priorities and support the wider uptake and scaling of successful social innovation approaches across Member States.
|
| 11:45 - 13:30 |
Parallel Activities: Breakout session 4: Stronger Together! The Future of Transnational Cooperation in the Next MFF
An interactive breakout session that will merge expertise from all of the CoPs and ALMA Network and other players in the field to identify how transnational cooperation should feature within the upcoming MFF. The discussion on transnational cooperation will cover both dimensions: partners implementing projects jointly across borders, and Member States transferring knowledge and exchanging information and good practices. Especially in uncertain times, this matters on two fronts: it strengthens collaboration and solidarity between countries, promotes a shared understanding of the different policy approaches and practices that countries have developed in response to their specific national and institutional contexts, and it helps ensure that EU funding is spent effectively and efficiently, by spreading what already works and avoiding duplication. Drawing on participants’ practical experience, the discussions will test what works and does not work, what is missing, and what the next MFF should enable. Its conclusions will result in a concise recommendation paper to be presented to the European Commission and within the CoPs and ALMA Network.
|
| 13:30 - 15:00 |
Lunch
|
| 15:00 - 16:30 |
Meet the Social Innovators
Building on the showcasing of social innovation projects, this session will provide participants with an interactive opportunity to engage directly with 12 selected initiatives (24 innovators) from the SIM Database, presented across two parallel rounds of workshop sessions.
|
| 16:30 - 17:15 |
Coffee Break
|
| 17:15 - 17:30 |
Insights into the European Competence Centre for Social Innovation
Neringa Poškutė,
Head of Social Innovations and Transnational Initiatives Center at the European Social Fund Agency (ESFA)
|
| 17:30 - 17:45 |
Fireside Chat: What Convinces Decision-Makers to Support Social Innovation?
Jeroo Billimoria,
Convener, Government Council for Social Innovation, founder, One Family Foundation
|
| 19:00 - 21:00 |
Networking Dinner
|
| Time (Local time) | Topic and speaker |
|---|---|
| 09:00 - 09:10 |
Opening of Day 2
Raluca Painter,
Head of Unit, Social Climate Fund, European Globalisation Adjustment Fund, Social Innovation, DG EMPL, European Commission
|
| 09:10 - 10:10 |
Panel Discussion: The Role of Social Innovation in Supporting the Most Vulnerable
This panel will discuss transnational projects funded under ESF+ calls for proposals organised by the European Competence Centre for Social innovation that support the most vulnerable. The themes covered include projects under the Ukraine call, ALMA call, Zero long-term unemployment. It will present the objectives of the recent call dedicated to Strengthening the European Child Guarantee and Roma NEETs.
|
| 10:10 - 11:25 |
Parallel Activities: Workshop in Groups
Each participant will be able to attend one of the six workshops, selected in advance. The main objective of the workshops is to encourage knowledge sharing, exchange of experience and practical examples of social innovations which could be scaled up in the next MFF. It will also discuss how cooperation between policy makers at different levels (local, regional, national, EU, global), as well as collaboration with other stakeholders (private sector, foundations, NGOs) needs to support social innovations.
|
| 11:25 - 11:40 |
Comfort Break
|
| 11:40 - 13:00 |
Panel Discussion: From Successful Innovations to Identifying Areas in Which Social Innovation is Further Needed: Taking Stock of Group Discussions of Day 1
The panel will discuss the conclusions from the breakout sessions of day 1. One panelist from each of the breakout sessions will discuss the relevant findings. The objective is to take stock of the examples of successful social innovations that emerged in the breakout sessions and the ideas and suggestions as regards areas of further work in a transnational setting.
|
| 13:00 - 13:15 |
Closing Remarks
Andriana Sukova,
Deputy Director-General for Funds, Fair Transition and Analysis, DG EMPL, European Commission
|
| 13:15 - 14:30 |
Light Lunch / Networking / Departure
|