Social innovation is increasingly recognised across Europe not just as a solution to pressing social and environmental problems, but as a transformative force reshaping how we live, produce, and consume. From repair cafés and local food networks to inclusive digital platforms, social innovation fosters trust, collaboration, and resilient communities.

Many social innovations begin at grassroots, driven by the everyday needs and creativity of citizens. Because challenges vary across regions, successful initiatives must be flexible, inclusive, and grounded in local knowledge. Governments and institutions play a critical role in enabling social innovation by creating space, providing resources, and supportive frameworks for community-led action. In response to this, this policy paper outlines  recommendations across three main areas:

Financial Support

• Simplify funding procedures by reducing administrative burdens and harmonising application criteria across programmes.
• Establish dedicated social innovation funding programmes focused on themes like inclusion, circularity, and sustainable lifestyles.
• Strengthen regional development agencies so that they are sufficiently equipped to support social innovation initiatives access funding, receive training, and expand into new markets.

Regulatory Frameworks

• Incentivize social innovation through public procurement. As a first step, this necessitates the formulation of legal requirements for fair and sustainable public procurement, such as binding human rights and environmental criteria for sensitive product groups.
• Stabilise policy support through long-term funding frameworks independent of political cycles.

Collaboration and Networking

• Provide structural funding to facilitate networking and collaboration among social-sector representatives, ensuring stronger connections between social innovation initiatives, non-governmental organizations, and public institutions.
• Increase awareness and education efforts, including public outreach and informational events that increase understanding about the social and environmental benefits generated by social innovation.

The full policy brief is available for download. For more information on the 3-CO project, please visit the project website