Problem addressed

The current innovation system is fragmented and creates structural barriers for individual micro-innovators by demanding significant financial resources and established organizational capacity. This leads to several issues:

Structural Discrimination: A one-sided focus on venture capital-driven growth companies favors specific sectors (technology, life science) and groups (99% of capital goes to companies run by men).

Systemic Gaps: Support systems like science parks and incubators are mostly directed at growth companies, excluding social innovators who may belong to underrepresented groups or start businesses as a solution to exclusion.

Three-Level Challenges:

• Structural: Skewed allocation of capital and lack of financial support for social innovations.
• Organizational: A lack of platforms that align advice with financing.
• Individual: Innovators often do not see themselves as entrepreneurs and may lack knowledge about innovation processes or lack a professional context.

Innovative solution

he project introduces a unique support structure by employing six micro-innovators (equal gender distribution) in part-time positions (25%) for 12 months. This approach provides:

• Financial and Professional Prerequisities: Time and funding to complete a structured innovation process.
• The SEA Innovation Process: A guided path including idea development, potential analysis, creation of sustainable business plans, and prototype testing.
• Organizational Development: A specific phase for establishing organizational and financing models to ensure the innovations become viable long-term businesses or services.

Key results and benefits

The project is designed to deliver several measurable outcomes:

• Tangible Innovations: The delivery of at least three prototypes (products, models, or services) addressing social needs.
• Capacity Building: Six micro-innovators will have completed the full innovation process, gaining competence in business development and marketing.
• Societal Impact: By preventing promising solutions from being shelved, the project increases the degree of innovation in the social sector and addresses economic inequality

Potential for mainstreaming

To ensure long-term sustainability and dissemination, the project focuses on:

• Establishing a Permanent Platform: Implementing the SEA platform in the Fyrbodal region as a lasting structure for social innovation.
• Strategic Collaboration: Partnering with Vänersborg, Bengtsfors, and Trollhättan municipalities, as well as University West and Social Ekonomi Fyrbodal.
• Knowledge Dissemination: Conducting workshops at collaborating municipalities and the university to spread the methods used.
• Sustainable Structures: By involving regional actors and focusing on viable financing models, the project aims to create a long-term sustainable ecosystem for social micro-innovations that can continue beyond the project’s duration.