Social Innovation and Innovation Policy: The Development of a Comprehensive Innovation Policy in Europe

In recent years, there has been a growing realization that innovation policy is falling short of its potential to address the multiple, complex and interrelated global challenges that affect contemporary and future societies. Social innovation will play a key role within innovation policy if social, economic, political and environmental challenges of the 21st century are to be successfully tackled. As a novel approach to find solutions for global, national and local problems in health, education, energy, environmental and other policies, social innovation has been embraced by stakeholders and communities on the local, regional and national level.

The dynamics in the field of social innovation in the international discourse is reflected by the increasing number of (public) programs that initiate and support social innovation at local, regional, national, and global levels. European innovation and research policy has played an important role in this regard (see Edler 2023). At the programmatic level of European research and innovation policy, a new perspective on innovation has emerged since 1992. The social has been substantially upgraded compared to technology development in the EU research framework programs (cf. Howaldt/Schwarz 2010, pp. 33ff).

Similar to the European Commission’s approach, many governments in Europe and beyond also begin to recognize the importance of social innovation in developing a sustainable innovation policy (Howaldt et al. 2018). In Germany, too, corresponding efforts have intensified in recent years, while initiatives to develop a comprehensive understanding of innovation can be traced back to the early 2000s.

The presentation outlines the contours of a mission-oriented innovation policy which is based on a comprehensive concept of innovation. This includes a new role of public policy and government for creating adequate framework conditions and related support structures. It also reflects upon the significance of using the innovative capacity of all societal sectors.