The focus of the application was the city's innovation model with its wide range of social, sustainable and technology-oriented projects and strategic approaches. Social innovation plays an important role in the understanding of innovation in the City of Dortmund.

In Dortmund, social innovations arise in particular through collaboration, for example in the decade project "nordwärts", in special competitions such as “greenhouse.ruhr" or in creative locations such as the Union Gewerbehof. Committed citizens also contribute their good ideas in numerous analog and digital dialogue formats, e.g. at the "Helpathon", in which ideas for the time with and after Corona were collected together.

Activities such as the "Mas­ter­plan Wis­sen­schaft" ("Science Master Plan") have contributed to the success. The Social Research Center from the Faculty of Social Sciences is represented with the project “iResilience”.

The joint project helps to make cities more resistant to the effects of climate change – such as heat and heavy rain with the help of intelligent infrastructures and social innovations. Furthermore, the Social Research Center is represented with the project "T-Factor" – in close connection with the Dortmunder U – in the "Innovation next door" campaign in the area of ​​"Hotspots and networks as innovation drivers". T-Factor examines the potential of temporary projects in urban renewal for sustainable district development. In addition, the Social Research Center was significantly involved in the development of the Social Innovation Center of the Dortmund Economic Development Agency in the context of the “KoSI-Lab” project.

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