Problem addressed
Northern Middle Sweden (NMS), including Dalarna, Gävleborg and Värmland, is Sweden’s only designated transition region, facing major challenges in achieving inclusive and sustainable regional development. At the same time, Dalarna plays an important role in the green transition and growing visitor economy through its businesses and natural resources. Compared to the national average, the region has lower levels of higher education, poorer health outcomes, a highly gender-segregated labour market, higher levels of economic exclusion, and greater economic vulnerability among migrants and people with disabilities. Dalarna also faces severe demographic challenges, with Sweden’s highest dependency ratio, labour shortages in welfare sectors, and more than 3,000 long-term unemployed despite generally low unemployment.
At the same time, Dalarna has a strong tradition of social innovation, cooperation and community entrepreneurship. However, the social economy sector is currently fragmented, limiting its ability to support grassroots innovators and respond to complex societal challenges. As a result, many promising social innovations lack access to coordinated support, suitable financing, and collaboration opportunities needed to move from idea to implementation. The project addresses this gap by strengthening cooperation within the social economy and building a more supportive ecosystem for social micro-innovators.
Innovative solution
The project introduces a new collaborative support model for social micro-innovators in Dalarna by bringing together actors from across the social economy, public sector, academia and social finance into one coordinated partnership. Instead of offering fragmented support, the initiative creates an incubator-like ecosystem where grassroots innovators receive tailored guidance in idea development, financing, collaboration and organizational development. The model combines methods from social innovation, cooperative development and social work, with Coompanion acting as a coordinating “case manager” that connects innovators with the right expertise and networks. By testing the model directly with micro-innovators and building on existing regional and EU initiatives for the social economy, the project aims to create a scalable and inclusive framework for turning local ideas into sustainable social innovations.
Key results and benefits
The project will strengthen Dalarna’s capacity for social innovation by creating a coordinated support ecosystem for grassroots innovators and social micro-innovations. At least five micro-innovators will receive tailored support in idea development, collaboration and financing, while three idea carriers will be employed part-time to further develop their innovations. The project aims to deliver at least two concrete prototypes in the form of products, services or organizational models with long-term financing plans. Beyond the individual innovations, the project will establish a collaborative model for how actors within the social economy can jointly support social innovation in a more inclusive, accessible and non-discriminatory way. The initiative will also contribute to stronger cooperation between civil society, public actors, academia and social finance, helping to build long-term regional capacity for sustainable and inclusive societal development.
Potential for mainstreaming
The project has strong potential for mainstreaming because it develops a practical and transferable model for coordinated support to social micro-innovators within the social economy. By bringing together civil society organizations, public authorities, academia and social finance actors in one collaborative structure, the project creates a method that can be integrated into existing regional innovation and development systems. The model builds on EU strategies for the social economy and complements current regional innovation frameworks, making it relevant both within and beyond Dalarna. Through documentation, continuous learning and cooperation with regional and national stakeholders, the project aims to demonstrate how social innovation support can become a permanent and scalable part of inclusive regional development policies and practices.
