New Playbook Aims to Unlock Potential of Social Innovation at Universities in Canada

Universities hold “significant potential” as catalysts and contributors to solutions that address complex social challenges.

This is the stance of Innovate Calgary, which recently launched a “playbook” on this topic.

“We are proud to introduce the Unlocking Universities for Social Innovation Playbook, a resource designed to help post-secondary institutions strengthen their capacity to support social innovation as a core part of their innovation ecosystems,” the organization stated this week.

Universities and research institutions are increasingly being called upon to do more than generate knowledge, with a growing expectation that they will also help translate that knowledge into real-world outcomes, according to Innovate Calgary.

But while most institutions share a desire to translate research into real-world impact, challenges lie in systems that have evolved to support only certain pathways to innovation.

Realizing the potential of social innovation requires coordination, supportive structures, and systems designed to move ideas from discovery to meaningful application, according to the playbook.

“When universities intentionally create space for social innovation, they unlock the full potential of the knowledge, talent, and networks already within their institutions,” Innovate Calgary states.

Developed by the Social Innovation Hub in collaboration with global innovation consultancy Oxentia, the “Unlocking Universities for Social Innovation Playbook” draws on a decade of experience and diverse real-world examples to outline cultural, institutional, and individual conditions that enable social innovation to grow.

The playbook was developed as “part of a wider effort to better understand how different parts of the innovation ecosystem can work together more effectively.”

The resource’s primary audience is ecosystem builders who support innovators and communities wanting to launch solutions that aim to solve social problems.

The Playbook can also be used as a resource for other actors in the university innovation ecosystem (such as students and researchers) who are interested in learning about best practices.