SOCIN’24: Social Innovations for Transformative Society. ERUA Summit

Abstract

ERUA’s fourth Annual Summit 2024 stands at the forefront of exploring the significant role of social innovations in the face of global transformation and sustainability crises. This summit represents a distinctive assembly of thought leaders, academics, policymakers, and innovators, all uniting with a shared objective: to thoroughly explore the pressing needs of social innovations in addressing contemporary challenges.

At the heart of this summit is the exploration of the role that universities play in critiquing, questioning, nurturing and developing social innovations. The event aims to highlight their role in sculpting a resilient and adaptive society, recognizing that higher education institutions are not just centers of knowledge, but pivotal agents of societal change. This summit also explores the synergy between education and research emphasizing their combined role as catalysts for social innovation.

The summit intends to examine the methodologies and challenges in measuring the societal impact of scientific research. This critical discourse is needed to bridge the gap between academic pursuits and tangible societal benefits, highlighting the importance of questioning in what ways we ensure accountability and impact of research in the wider society. The event also endeavours to showcase exemplary practices in developing social innovations and provide insights into strategies for nurturing ecosystems for social innovations, particularly in cross-disciplinary and cross-sectoral partnerships within and beyond academia.