ZSI - Centre for Social Innovation
Zentrum für Soziale Innovation GmbH (Centre for Social Innovation) is a non-profit company with limited liability and an independent scientific research institution which deploys socio-scientific research, education, advisory and networking services.
Organisation
ZSI conducts research on the social embedding and impact of all types of innovations, and contributes to the design and diffusion of socially accepted and sustainable innovations to meet social challenges. By deployment of innovative research, education, advisory services and co-ordination of networks, we create new knowledge, reflect and configure existing knowledge, evaluate measures, develop concepts and forward their implementation. Founded in 1990 as an association, ZSI currently employs 55+ interdisciplinary trained scientists and experts.
As a policy developer and international STI cooperation specialist, ZSI brings in the project already established links with relevant regional policy dialogue fora and national authorities in the target geographic regions. In addition to this, ZSI disposes valuable expertise in high-standard analytical work, and in drafting and promoting the adoption of policy documents.
ZSI contributes to the project through the following core competences:
Next to standard analytical software (SPSS, Pajec, UciNet; maxQda etc.) and office software ZSI two meeting rooms and brings in a comprehensive national policy and research funding network through the Austrian Platform for Research and Technology Policy evaluation (fteval), which is hosted by ZSI. Moreover, ZSI also manages ESSIe – the European School of Social Innovation.
In detail, ZSI, based on its capacity, is going to contribute in the following tasks:
1) In WP3, in co-patenting analysis focusing on international patents
2) In WP4, in the policy development framework (policy development seminars) and in exploring cooperation with COST
3) In WP5, in the coordination of communication, dissemination & outreach activities including project’s visual identity and dissemination materials, the Web platform and the Social media – innovative ways of dissemination, the content management and communities of practice and the final dissemination conference.