Launch of SEED: Italy’s National Competence Center for Social Innovation

The SEED National Competence Center for Social Innovation was recently presented in the Press Room of the Chamber of Deputies in Rome. It is an initiative developed in collaboration with similar national centers promoted throughout the European Union, to support public administrations, businesses, and civil society in addressing complex social challenges through innovative approaches.

The SEED Center is part of the EU Commission’s actions supported by the EaSI and European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) programs and involves as partners the Politecnico di Milano, Politecnico di Torino, University of Bologna, Euricse, and the Giacomo Brodolini Foundation, aiming to create a bridge between public policies and innovative social practices.

The SEED Center has three main objectives: 
- disseminating knowledge and technical skills on social innovation among public and private actors, 
- being a reference point for the design of public policies, collaborating with central, regional, and local administrations in creating innovative services and solutions according to the principles of shared administration, 
- creating a bridge between Italy and other European competence centers for the exchange of experiences and innovative practices.

The Center will offer various services to promote social innovation, such as defining strategies and action plans, consulting and training for public bodies, the Third Sector, and businesses, and support for accessing European funding. Additionally, it will promote the involvement and cooperation among stakeholders for building public-private partnerships, facilitate co-design processes, and promote the creation and dissemination of studies on social innovation.