This Grant has contributed to identify, map and connect stakeholders in the different European and world countries that may be willing to work for the practical implementation of social innovation around SHAFE. This Virtual Mobility Grant developed a survey for the identification of social innovation ecosystems, circulated it among NET4Age-Friendly members and related local, regional and national ecosystems, analysed results and developed a lay and a scientific publication that provides the SHAFE mapping on social innovation ecosystems. This mapping and connection will enable to: increase awareness of innovation actors on social innovation concepts; to create alliances and synergies between different stakeholders within ecosystems and between ecosystems; and to ensure that business actors have access to social innovation and entrepreneurial knowledge.
The VM exceeded the initial expectations in terms of survey respondents and gathered information related to 61 social innovation ecosystems. It allowed to extract several relevant conclusions and the connections to be established from it can contribute to increase awareness of innovation actors on social innovation concepts and, if well disseminated, may also leverage the creation of alliances and synergies between different stakeholders within ecosystems and between ecosystems. The activities gathered relevant inputs regarding different cultural and societal perceptions, including end-user organisations in different countries and will thus facilitate multistakeholder engagement, public awareness and the overall upscale of social innovation on SHAFE.