The role of universities and scientific institutions in the social innovation ecosystem

7th September 2024, 10 am - 4 pm
TU Dortmund University International Meeting Center (IBZ) / Campus Nord Emil-Figge-Straße 59, 44227 Dortmund. You can find precise directions here.
The conference is free to attend and held in-person only!

Social innovation and social enterprises play a fundamental role in the future viability of our country. Universities and scientific institutions make important contributions in this field. Although many universities in Germany are already involved in the development and diffusion of social innovations in research, teaching and the Third Mission, both theoretically and creatively (Hachmeister & Roessler, 2021), it is still a major strategic challenge for higher education institutions (HEIs) to bring social innovations on a par with technological innovations (Menter 2024)

The Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), in cooperation with the Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection (BMWK), is currently funding the development of a platform as a central measure of the strategy for social innovation and social enterprises. The platform is brought to life by Social Impact gGmbH, the Social Entrepreneurship Network Germany e.V., and TU Dortmund University. Based on the premise that universities and scientific institutions have important functions to fulfill in the social innovation ecosystem, TU Dortmund University is building an open scientific network as part of the platform and is thus addressing representatives from HEIs from all three missions in Germany who already play an active role in the ecosystem or intend to do so in the future. The network is intended to facilitate knowledge transfer between the stakeholders, set thematic priorities to raise the profile of the topic and prepare the necessary university policy decisions.

With this conference the emerging network, which has formed less than a year ago, will reach its first milestone. It brings together interested researchers, lecturers and members of transfer centers as well as other members of scientific institutions and creates an opportunity for an intensive and cross-mission exchange of experiences.

You are cordially invited to get to know the ambition and work of the Science Network and its stakeholders in an interactive setting.

• You will receive an update on the network's activities to date.
• You will receive impulses from two keynotes by international experts in social innovation research.
• You will take part in working on key issues. The network's agenda was set by the previous network actors in the various formats (see above). We have condensed the central results into three problems that can be worked on interactively and in a results-oriented manner in dialog sessions.
• You can follow the reflections of a top-level expert panel on the strategic consequences of a sustainable integration of the field of social innovation into the academic landscape.

We would be delighted to talk to you the evening before, on the 16th of September at 7 pm, at an informal get-together at Restaurant Pfefferkorn (Hoher Wall 38).

The conference language is German with the exception of Mark Anderson's keynote. To participate in the conference, a registration is mandatory. The number of participants is limited. Registrations will be considered in the order in which they are received. 

If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Ralf Kopp via mail: ralf.kopp@tu-dortmund.de

9.15 am
Check-In

10.00 – 10.30 am
A welcome and introduction to the conference
PD Dr. Christoph Kaletka (Deputy Director of the Social Research Centre at TU Dortmund University)

10.30 – 12.00 am
Keynotes
Higher education institutions in social innovation ecosystems (preliminary title)
Prof. Simon Teasdale (Queens University Belfast / Queen's Business School)

Innovating academia? Reflections on researching social innovation (preliminary title)
Prof. Julia Wittmayer (Erasmus University Rotterdam / Dutch Research Institute for Transitions)

12.00 – 12.45 pm
Lunch break

12.45 – 14.15 pm
Pitches and dialog sessions

• Driving Change at universities
• New innovation policy
• International perspectives

14.15 – 14.45 pm
Coffee break

14.45 – 15.00 pm
Reports from the sessions

15.00 – 15.45 pm
Panel discussion
Discussing the current and future significance and challenges of establishing social innovation at universities from the different perspectives of the three missions. Featuring:
Prof. Klaus Becker (Vice President for Research and Knowledge Transfer at TH Köln)
Dr. Ronald Kriedel (Managing Director of the Centre for Entrepreneurship and Transfer at TU Dortmund University)
Prof. Britta Gossel (Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development)
Prof. Julia Wittmayer (Erasmus University Rotterdam / Dutch Research Institute for Transitions)
Moderation Prof. Jürgen Howaldt (Director of the Social Research Center at TU Dortmund University)

15.45 – 16.00 pm
Summary and outlook

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You can easily register for the conference online using the form below.