Course info

In the seminar, the theoretical foundations of social innovation and its societal (social and economic) impact will be worked out and reflected based on case studies. The questions of how, under what conditions, and with the help of which mechanisms the local embeddedness of individual social innovations (micro-level) and the grand socio-economic challenges (macro-level) can be bridged will be elaborated. Hybrid business models will be emphasised, and the "Business Model Canvas" method will be tested in practical application. Small groups of students will develop concrete social innovative ideas (including a business model) considering the respective regional/local context. Finally, the fundamental connection between social innovation, institutional and social change, and possible scaling scenarios will be discussed.

The seminar is organised in four thematic blocks, however, the workload will be continuous throughout the semester due to a combination of synchronous and asynchronous elements, divided into group and individual tasks. The synchronous elements (sessions) will be performed digitally via zoom. The fifth and final block, where the students present their cases, will be scheduled with the students during the first session. The minimum number of participants for the seminar is 10 students.