Centre for Social Innovation << RI-LINKS2UA

Centre for Social Innovation

Zentrum für Soziale Innovation GmbH (Centre for Social Innovation) is a non-profit company with limited liability and an independent scientific research institution which deploys socio-scientific research, education, advisory and networking services.

Organisation

ZSI
Posted on: Jun 9, 2016
Austria

Website: Link

Contact: Gorazd Weiss, weiss@zsi.at

Post Date: Jun 9, 2016

ZSI conducts research on the social embedding and impact of all types of innovations, and contributes to the design and diffusion of socially accepted and sustainable innovations to meet social challenges. By deployment of innovative research, education, advisory services and co-ordination of networks, we create new knowledge, reflect and configure existing knowledge, evaluate measures, develop concepts and forward their implementation. Founded in 1990 as an association, ZSI currently employs 55+ interdisciplinary trained scientists and experts.

More concretely, the Department for Research Policy & Development pools experts for scholarly methods to gather scientific inputs for evidence-based policy making and well experienced project managers in the field of international science, technology and innovation cooperation. As such, the organisation’s expertise includes the coordination and implementation of a variety of projects supported by the EU Framework Programmes (FP7 and previous FPs as well Horizon 2020), programmes of Structural Funds, European Territorial Cooperation, LLP, Erasmus+, as well as other nationally and internationally funded programmes. The department’s core competencies comprise social-scientific S&T policy studies, patterns of technoglobalisation, international management of STI, evaluation of STI policies, programmes and projects, copublication analysis, impact analysis, qualitative and quantitative methods of empirical social research etc.

The department is and was involved in BILAT, INCO-NET and ERA-NET networks with the following world regions: Eastern European Countries, Central Asia, Canada, South East Asia, India, Japan, Latin America, the Danube Region countries etc. The main focus of activities in the department lies on the analysis and practical improvement of RTDI systems, on innovation policies and their internationalisation. ZSI also provides analysis and consultancy services for national (e. g. various ministries) and international customers (e. g. OECD, World Bank, UNDP, UNECE, UNESCO), and in the frame of projects under the Structural Funds, IPA Funds, etc. ZSI organises high-level events and publishes on research, technological development, and innovation topics as well as technology transfer.

Expertise:

Most importantly in the context of RI-LINKS2UA, ZSI is currently coordinating the following projects targeting and/or involving Ukraine: Black Sea Horizon (2015-2018), ENER2I (2013-2016) and Danube-INCO.NET (2014-2016). It is furthermore administrative coordinator of IncoNet EaP (2013-2016).
Preceding the RI-LINKS2UA project was BILAT-UKR*INA (2012-2015), which was also successfully coordinated by ZSI.

As a policy developer and international STI cooperation specialist, ZSI brings into the project already established links with relevant regional policy dialogue fora and national authorities in the targeted geographic regions. In addition to this, ZSI disposes valuable expertise in high-standard analytical work, and in drafting and promoting the adoption of policy documents. ZSI is a well established actor in the EU-Ukraine cooperation who has gained trust from the Ukrainian stakeholders, the EU Member States as well as the EC and who contributes its experiences in the coordination and management of projects as well as the personal and institutional contacts established.

ZSI is involved in all WPs and is the leader of WP1 and WP6 (Management and Coordination – T6.1, T6.2 and T63 Leader). According to its expertise, ZSI will be involved in the activities targeting policy support (T1.1, T1.2 leader and contributor to T1.3. and T.4), innovation support (contribution to activities in WP4), governance of the Ukrainian participation in H2020 and promotion of H2020 (T5.2 Leader) and dissemination (contribution to WP2, WP3, and WP5).

Type: Research Institute