Academic policy support of social innovation for sustainable transition
| Reference number | |
| Coordinator | Malmö Universitet |
| Funding from Vinnova | SEK 1 500 000 |
| Project duration | January 2025 - December 2025 |
| Status | Ongoing |
| Venture | Research projects in interaction for system transformation |
| Call | Research in interaction for transition to sustainable societies |
Purpose and goal
In this project, six Swedish universities in Forum for Social Innovation Sweden (FSIS) join forces with the purpose of investigating and improving the academic policy support of social innovation for transition to sustainable societies. The project aims to mediate different sustainability dimensions in academic engagement in novel approaches to societal challenges, based on the acknowledged but under-exploited importance of social dimensions in innovation for sustainable transition.
Expected effects and result
The project will result in practical policy guidelines and a visionary roadmap for the current reorientation towards a wider and deeper societal engagement among Swedish universities. It will also result in a scientific article combining the perspectives of ‘transformative social innovation’ and ‘the engaged/developmental university’ to increase the knowledge of the complex process by which established systems can be transformed.
Planned approach and implementation
In the project, strategic policy documents from the universities are analyzed regarding their support of academic engagement in novel approaches to societal challenges, and international best practices are mapped. Based on this, policy guidelines and a roadmap are developed for academic policy support of social innovation for sustainable transition. All in collaboration between researchers, top managers and support staff at the universities, as well as actors from other societal sectors.