30 Semi-finalists selected in European Social Innovation Competition!

For this year’s competition, we’ve been looking for projects that fight for equality. The jury has just chosen thirty inspiring semi-finalists.

Betrokken KL'ers
Tessa de Geus

8 juni 2017

Out of almost 800 applicants, this year’s judges++Meet the JudgesThe jury of this year’s competition is comprised of a diverse group of twelve experts, read their profiles here! have chosen thirty semi-finalists with bright ideas that work towards a more equal Europe to participate in the European Social Innovation Competition 2017. The competition is an initiative of DG Growth and is organised by Kennisland in cooperation with Nesta, Matter&Co, Shipyard and Impact Hub. This year’s competition is focused on rebooting equality++Reboot equalityIn response to digitisation’s transformative effect on the labour market, the 2017 competition aims to ‘reboot’ equality and shape future society by inspiring fresh, energetic approaches to digital inclusion, collaborative economy, connectivity and skills development. through social innovation.

The European Social Innovation Competition 2017++KL and EUSICKennisland has been involved with the competition for the last couple of years. You can find more information about this project here. seeks creative approaches from Europeans to come up with innovations in tools, services and models to allow all members of society to seize the opportunities of the digital revolution.

Selecting the thirty semi-finalists out of all applicants was a difficult job, for this year’s applicants are yet another reminder of all the social innovative potential there is. In addition to this, the geographical spread of the applicants has never been this large. Initiatives from forty different countries applied and the shortlisted semi-finalists come from all corners of Europe. The ideas this year cover fields such as digital employment or entrepreneurship, collaborative economy initiatives, skills development and innovations for low-wage/ low-skilled workers. Do you want to know more about the brilliant initiatives that have been selected? You can find their profiles here.

In the first weekInitiatives from forty different countries applied and the shortlisted semi-finalists come from all corners of Europe. of July, the next stage of the competition will start. From the 3rd to the 5th of July, the semi-finalists will receive tailored mentoring and support at the European Social Innovation Academy++ChallengesKennisland has extensive experience with tailor made programmes like the academy. Examples of this are Amsterdammers, Make your City! and our excursion during the Ratkaisu-100. You can read more about our take on this here.. Kennisland++Social innovationBesides the competition, Kennisland is involved in a number of social innovation projects. You can read more about our work here. is responsible for the substantive organisation of this academy, which will take place in Madrid this year. This stage of the competition is aimed at providing the semi-finalists with the best chance in the competition and beyond.

During the academy, the semi-finalists will partake in workshops, receive coaching and mentoring, and visit a number of exciting and inspiring local initiatives. After the academy, ten finalists will be selected, of which the three most effective will each be awarded a €50,000 prize at the awards ceremony in Brussels in October 2017.

Keep an eye on our website to stay updated!