On 6th October numerous guests came upon the invitation of the German Center for Research and Innovation in New York and the University Alliance Ruhr, to learn more about recent developments in the field of social innovation in the European and North-American perspective.
The event started with an introduction by the director of the German Centre, Dr. Joann Halpern and the executive director of the University Alliance Ruhr in New York, Peter Rosenbaum. Then Prof. Dr. Josef Hochgerner (ZSI Vienna), Kriss Deiglmeier (TIDES) and Prof. Dr. Jürgen Howaldt (Social Research Centre of TU Dortmund University – sfs), talked on social innovation against the background of their longtime experience in this field and answered questions from the audience. The event was moderated by Eleni Janis, vice president of the New York City Economic Development Corporation.
On 7th October social innovation was again on the agenda of the German Center for Research and Innovation and the University Alliance Ruhr, this time in the context of a workshop with approx. 20 renowned international experts. The event ‘Transatlantic Perspectives on Social Innovation – Creating an Ecosystem for Social Innovation’ was organised together with TU Dortmund University – sfs. Prof. Dr. Jürgen Howaldt introduced to the workshop with a presentation, focusing on the currently biggest international research project in social innovation ‘SI-DRIVE – Social Innovation: Driving Force of Social Change’.
Afterwards Prof. Howaldt moderated the event where Prof. Dr. Frances Westley (WISIR), Dr. Curtis Zimmermann (BASF U.S.), Tonya Surman (Centre for Social Innovation), Kriss Deiglmeier (TIDES,) and Prof. Dr. Josef Hochgerner (ZSI Vienna), among others, participated with short presentations on how social innovations diffuse into society, which conditions favour their success and how they lead to social change. Finally, there was a World Café, that was moderated i.a. by Dmitri Domanski (researcher at TU Dortmund University – sfs), dedicated to the role of different societal sectors with regard to emergence and diffusion of social innovations.
