The centre for social innovation (ZSI GmbH) is a non-profit scientific institute established in Vienna in 1988. It conducts research and provides coordination, education and consulting services with a focus on the social embedding and impact of all types of innovations. In 2017, its approximately 60 staff members worked on 74 projects in 13 different funding programmes, mostly at European level.

ZSI’s department of “Work and equal opportunities” has been affiliated to MetropolisNet since 2009 collaborating on projects such as EP-Dem Labs, Jump@School, Guide+ and Guide!, Mistra, Age-Work-Balance and Local-LLL-Power.

The main areas of research of this department are social inclusion and employment. Projects on social inclusion mostly focus on the causes, results and consequences of international (re-)migration. Here, a special emphasis is placed on participation and inclusion through education. Projects focussing on employment, examine among others, innovative employment policies as well as changing labour market and work environments, recently also with regard to digitalisation. Other subjects are social innovation and social entrepreneurship,

Researchers at ZSI apply a wide range of qualitative and quantitative methods of empirical social research, adapted to the questions and context of research (often using mixed methods designs). Experts in the department specialise in evaluation, social policy experimentation and social network analyses.

Some current projects include:

  • Anerkennung, Kompetenz und Information: Contributes to the sustainable improvement of the situation of the immigrant Roma population in Austria through empowerment.
  • EULAC-Focus: “Gives focus” to the cultural, scientific and social dimension of the relations between the EU and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States.
  • INNOVCare: Implements and experimentally tests a case management approach to improve the quality of life of people living with rare or complex conditions and their families.
  • Werkstatt.Basisbildung: Mobilises the tacit knowledge of adult education trainers on anti-discriminatory communication and interaction and uses this knowledge to train others.
  • MEnt: Facilitates and strengthens migrant entrepreneurship through light incubation cycles supported by mentors in five EU countries.
  • SENSES: Creates a diverse transnational network to promote social innovation, in particular an innovative social enterprise model, for the sustainable economic development of the Danube region.
  • SIC: Brings together, researchers, intermediaries and networks of social innovation in Europe to strengthen and expand social innovation activities across policy domains.
  • Social(i)Makers: Helps to improve social innovation capacities in Central Europe by developing a social innovation ecosystem in the region through bottom-up interactions of relevant actors.

Find out more:
ZSI website: www.zsi.at
ZSI eJournal: https://www.zsi.at/de/about_zsi/zsi_ejournal
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ZSInnovation/
Twitter handle: @ZSInnovation

ZSI Team:
Back row from left to right: Ursula Holtgrewe (head of unit A&C), Juliet Tschank, Wolfgang Haider, Barbara Glinsner, Carmen Siller and Klaus Schuch (scientific director and CEO)
Front row from left to right: Martina Lindorfer, Doris Kaiserreiner, Katharina Handler and Berenike Ecker
Missing from the photo: August Gächter, Stefanie Konzett-Smoliner, Nela Šalamon and Irina Vana