Social Innovation Forum 2025 to Focus on Practical Solutions for Stronger, More Resilient Societies in Europe
The third Social Innovation Forum will take place on 1–2 October 2025 in Brussels, bringing together Managing Authorities, experts and other stakeholders to discuss how social innovation can help communities across the EU respond to changing economic, environmental, and social conditions.
This year’s Forum will explore the theme “How to build resilient societies across the EU through social innovation. Towards a Stronger Europe: Investing in People and Empowering Citizens for Social Change through the ESF+.”
The focus will be on practical ways to support people facing challenges such as job insecurity, lack of access to services, and the effects of climate and demographic change. Discussions will highlight how local and national initiatives – supported by the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) – can improve everyday life, especially for those in vulnerable situations.
“Advancing resilience across Europe is not merely a social priority – it is a strategic investment in our collective future,” said Neringa Poškutė, Head of the European Competence Centre for Social Innovation. “Social innovation is a vital lever for inclusive, sustainable growth and long-term competitiveness. By drawing on local knowledge, cultural strengths, and strong community networks, it brings together diverse actors to co-create solutions that deliver real impact, particularly in the face of economic transitions, environmental pressures, and social fragmentation. Through the ESF+ and the Social Innovation+ initiative, we are scaling up proven approaches and investing in people, because genuine resilience begins from the ground up, with empowered, connected, and future-oriented communities.”
Members of the five ESF+ Communities of Practice, the ALMA Network, and other relevant stakeholders involved in designing and delivering social innovation across Europe will take part in the Forum.
The two-day agenda of the Social Innovation Forum 2025 is designed to bring together high-level policy discussions and hands-on insights from real-world projects, giving participants both a vision of the future and practical ideas to act on now.
Day 1 will open with welcome remarks from representatives of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion and the European Competence Centre for Social Innovation. It will feature a keynote on the future of the European welfare state by Robin Maialeh, Chair of the Board at RILSA, followed by a panel discussion and a second keynote challenges of scaling innovation in public systems from Bairbre Nic Aongusa of Ireland’s Department of Rural and Community Development. The afternoon will be dedicated to thematic workshops led by each of the five ESF+ Communities of Practice and the ALMA Network, exploring diverse topics such as system-level change, inclusive labour markets, migrant integration, future skills demand, resilient material support, and evaluation methods for NEET-focused programmes.
A key highlight of Day 2 will be the Social Innovation Market, where 15 projects, selected from 93 submissions, will be showcased. Five of these initiatives will present their work on stage, sharing hands-on experiences and good practices on how their solutions contribute to challenges in employment, education, skills, and social inclusion. The day will also include an update from the European Competence Centre for Social Innovation, and a closing panel reflecting on workshop insights and outlining next steps for the five ESF+ Communities of Practice and the ALMA Network.
The Social Innovation Forum is organised by the European Competence Centre for Social Innovation which was established under the Social Innovation+ initiative.
The initiative includes transnational calls for proposals and opportunities for mutual learning, capacity building, and networking.
Support is provided to several communities of practices in key areas of the ESF+, particularly employment, education, skills, and social inclusion.
Close collaboration with National Competence Centres also helps to develop and share tools and methods for transferring and scaling up innovative solutions across the EU.
The initiative is managed by the Lithuanian European Social Fund agency.