European School of Social Innovation
Following the first global conference on Social Innovation in Vienna, the European School of Social Innovation (ESSI) was founded in 2011. Building on the Vienna Declaration on Social Innovation, ESSI's goal is to foster the development of a new understanding of innovation.
The scholars and practitioners from more than 40 institutions and research institutes are convinced that social innovations will help to fully exploit the economic potential of the knowledge society, to distribute resources more equitably and thus to halt growing social inequality. Advancing transformative and transdisciplinary research it develops new capacities for knowledge generation, dissemination, and application. Innovative organizations, methodologies, and networks are needed to effectively combine analytical thinking and practical action. ESSI provides a platform that encourages the exchange of ideas and the development of collaborative activities. ESSI, as a think tank, enables collaboration between members who ultimately form consortia to design and execute a wide variety of projects. In addition, being part of ESSI strengthens the position of member organizations and individual actors in the implementation of their social innovation activities.
Board (2022)
| Name | Funktion | Schwerpunkt |
| Jürgen Howaldt (Social resarch centre Dortmund, sfs) | Chairman | Science & Research |
| Antonius Schröder (Social resarch centre Dortmund, sfs) | Managing Director | Education & Training |
| Universidad de Deusto | Scientific Director | Science & Research |
| Klaus Schuch (ZSI, Wien) | Subject co-ordinator | Science & Research |
| Jeremy Millard (Danish Technological Institute) | Subject co-ordinator | Co-creation & Empowerment |
| Francesca Rizzo (Politecnico di Milano) | Subject co-ordinator | Education & Training |
| Julia Wittmayer (DRIFT, Rotterdam) | Subject co-ordinator | Co-creation & Empowerment |
Search & People Search
Location & approach
A2:
Exit 13 (Kreuz Dortmund Nord-Ost), direction Derne/Schwerte (B236), 1st exit direction Dortmund-Eving, next traffic lights turn right (Kemminghauser Str.), after 2.7km turn left (Evinger Str./B 54), after 1.1km traffic lights turn left (Deutsche Straße), after 500m on the left is the Evinger Platz.
A40/B1/A44:
From the Bundesstraße 1 (extension A40 or A44) to the intersection B1/B236 direction Lünen, 3rd exit direction Dortmund-Eving.
A45:
Exit Dortmund Hafen, turn left until the intersection Münsterstraße (B54), direction Eving, after about three kilometers turn into Deutsche Straße.
You can download an enlarged general map here
From Dortmund Airport, it takes just about 20 minutes to get to Dortmund Central Station by AirportExpress and from there to the university by subway (U-Bahn) 41. The stop is "Zeche Minister Stein". A wider range of international flight connections is offered by Düsseldorf Airport, about 60 kilometers away, which can be reached directly by S-Bahn from the university station. From there, you can get directly to Dortmund Central Station.
From Dortmund Central Station, take the U 41 light rail (direction Brambauer / Brechten). The stop is "Zeche Minister Stein". The Minister Stein Center is located on the right in the direction of travel of the streetcar.
You can find an overview map here.