Page Text: Inclusive Innovation
Supporting positive societal and environmental change
Our Inclusive Innovation programme provides third sector organisations with access to support and funding options to make ideas that do good a reality.
Event registration
Through a series of free online events, we have demonstrated how enterprises across diverse sectors have grown their ideas to fruition and the positive impact this has had on business and planet.
Regardless of the type of enterprise you are (community enterprise, social enterprise, mission led business, or enterprising third sector organisation); the sector you work in; if you have an idea to grow or scale your impact; then the chances are we can help you to realise this.
View one or more of our online event recordings to hear how others have accessed Interface’s specialist knowledge to help their enterprises grow and achieve their desired outcomes. Meet the Interface team and shift your idea from concept to reality!
About the project
“Social innovation meets a societal need to tackle the challenges we face today in ways with greater efficiency and impact”. Glasgow Caledonian University
Working collaboratively, CEIS and Interface aim to facilitate and support new inclusive innovation in the social enterprise and enterprising third sectors in Scotland. The programme is designed to raise awareness of available opportunities for support for enterprises or individuals with innovative solutions for growth, sustainability or to address social and environmental problems within Scotland, and beyond.
Who we are
CEIS
Established in 1984, CEIS Group is the UK’s largest and most experienced social enterprise support agency. Our vision is to make Scotland a better place to live and work with a more inclusive economy. We believe social enterprise and third sector organisations are key to the recovery and future sustainability of our planet; and we’re passionate about helping enterprises realise their potential by providing or sign-posting to the right resources, knowledge and tools.
Interface
Connecting social enterprises to Scotland’s world-leading academic expertise.
Interface works with individuals, social enterprises and organisations of all sizes and in all sectors, to match them to Scotland’s world-leading academic expertise to help them adapt, diversify and innovate. The Interface team unlocks this support for by offering free impartial support, facilitating collaborations, alongside helping to identify possible funding options that support academic partnerships from a wide range of public and private organisations.
Who is it for?
Social entrepreneurs, social enterprises and enterprising third sector organisations throughout Scotland who;
have an idea to create positive social or environmental change,
want to tap into new opportunities or
need support to grow or scale a community or social enterprise.
If you would like support with technical gaps, market research or fore sighting to help get your idea off the ground; and have the time and resource to dedicate to this, join one of our free online events to hear more.
The Interface System - how it works
Attend one of our free online events to learn more about the programme and hear from enterprises across a range of sectors, as well as some of the academics who supported projects to come to fruition.
If you have an idea for social or environmental change and need support to create it, develop it and take it forward then you can contact Interface or CEIS directly
The Interface Team will work with you to understand your goals and objectives; searching through all of Scotland’s Universities, colleges and research institutions to find the right partner to address your needs.
Once Interface find you suitable academic partners they remain on hand to provide continuous support. Interface can also identify numerous funding opportunities to offset the cost of the project.
Next Steps
After attending one of our events, the Interface team will get in touch or you can contact them directly via their contact form . From there, the team will help you to:
Define the problem to be solved
Find the right innovation partner
Scope the project
Determine the right incentive or mechanism
Assist with contract agreement
Register your idea
Event calendar
View our session recordings to hear from a range of enterprises on how Interface has supported a diverse type, size and scale of projects to get off the ground and the results of these. Our 2022 webinar dates will be posted in the New Year.
Wednesday 27th April: 1130 - 1230
Inclusive Innovation in partnership with Social Enterprise Scotland
At this session you will hear from Dr Andrew Manches, Senior Lecturer at the University of Edinburgh and Associate Director of the Scottish Graduate School of Social Science, and Sharon Macnab, Science Partnership Manager at the Glasgow Science Centre, about their partnership with the Scottish Schools Education Research Centre.
Their collaboration focused on improving the quality of STEM education for young, underserved children through interactive games, a new exhibition design framework and teacher training. The project recently won the Making a Social Difference award at the Scottish Knowledge Exchange Awards.
This session will also provide an overview of the Inclusive Innovation programme, which looks to raise awareness of the support, resources and potential funds available to third sector organisations who have a good idea that does good. Early stage ideas are welcomed!
Wednesday 24th November, 1100-1145: Arts & Creative
Edinburgh Napier University & Studio LR
Transforming the lives of our citizens and communities – one step at a time
For all entrepreneurs and social innovators, funding and investment are critical to delivering locally, regionally and nationally. Impact investment is primarily focussed on creating value in our communities, ensuring that all citizens are treated with “Kindness, Dignity and Compassion”. The current global Impact Investment market is worth $715billion and the Big Society Trust noted by the end of 2018 that the UK’s social investment market was delivering £1.1bn of annual transactions or a total value of over £3.5bn.
At this session we heard from Gail Boag , Dean of Edinburgh Napier Business School on the Impact Investment Symposium which creates collaboration between investors, philanthropists and social entrepreneurs to deliver a new funding routes for social enterprises. Joining Gail was Lucy Richards , (Founder & Chair of Studio LR and Founder of Better Company) who have accessed Scotland’s academic expertise to support citizens and communities across Scotland to describe their experience.