The European Social Innovation Competition 2024 (Up to EUR 75,000 funding available)

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About European Social Innovation Competition 2024

For 2024, the competition will focus on promoting digital democracy, encouraging innovative solutions that tackle issues such as disinformation, political participation, and democratic governance online.

It seeks entrepreneurial solutions that address pressing social needs, foster new social relationships, and enable innovative collaborations to tackle systemic challenges. The EUSIC application is open to non-profit and for-profit organizations, including entrepreneurs, social enterprises, NGOs, CSOs, educational institutions, and universities.

Objectives and focus for 2024

The 2024 competition will focus on social innovation in ‘Digital Democracy.’ It aligns with the EU’s vision for digital transformation, which emphasizes fundamental rights, the rule of law, democracy, inclusion, accessibility, equality, sustainability, resilience, and security.

Key aims for this year’s competition include:

• Incentivizing and rewarding innovations that tackle disinformation and promote democratic governance online
• Connecting actors in emerging democratic practices, such as public consultation platforms like Decidim.
• Promoting digital commons, including open source, hardware, and data solutions.
• Raising public awareness about democratic values in the digital world.
• Building grassroots communities and strengthening civil society through participation, collaboration, and dialogue.
• Developing digital organizational and business models based on democratic principles, ensuring equal access and shared technologies

• Sponsor Organisation: European Union

Benefits of European Social Innovation Competition 2024

Following are the prize details for the winners:

Prize Amounts:

• 1st Place: EUR 75,000
• 2nd Place: EUR 50,000
• 3rd Place: EUR 25,000

Additional Support: The competition provides a platform for visibility and networking, helping finalists transform their ideas into structured businesses.

European Social Innovation Competition 2024 Requirements

Below are the applicant eligibility criteria for the European Social Innovation Competition:

• Applicants must be natural persons or legal entities established in a European Union Member State or Associated Country.
• Entrepreneurs, social enterprises, corporate responsibility departments, NGOs, CSOs, educational institutions, and universities can apply.
• Eligibility is not extended to previous winners of the European Social Innovation Competition or recipients of EU/Euratom prizes for the same activities.
• Be from the eligible countries listed below:

List of Participating Countries in Horizon Europe

Legal entities from the following countries can participate under equivalent conditions as those from EU Member States:

• Albania
• Armenia
• Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Faroe Islands
• Georgia
• Iceland
• Israel
• Kosovo
• Moldova
• Montenegro
• New Zealand (associated with Pillar II ‘Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness’ from the 2023 Work Programmes onwards)
• North Macedonia
• Norway
• Serbia
• Tunisia
• Turkey
• Ukraine
• United Kingdom (associated with the entire Programme except the EIC Fund for Union budget from 2024 onwards)

Countries with Transitional Arrangements:

 

These countries are negotiating association agreements or are expected to associate soon:

• Canada
• Morocco
• Switzerland

Euratom Research and Training Programme Associated Countries

Legal entities from the following countries can participate in the Euratom Research and Training Programme:

• Ukraine

Other Third Countries:

Participants from these non-associated countries can take part but are not automatically eligible for funding unless specified in the work program:

Low- to middle-income countries automatically eligible for funding:

• Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Argentina, Azerbaijan
• Bangladesh, Belize, Benin, Belarus, Bhutan, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Botswana
• Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Central African Republic, Chad, Cameroon, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Congo (Republic), Costa Rica, Cuba, Côte d’Ivoire
• Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Dominica
• Ecuador, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, El Salvador, Eswatini, Ethiopia
• Fiji
• Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guatemala, Grenada, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana
• Haiti, Honduras
• Indonesia, Iran, Iraq
• Jamaica, Jordan
• Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Korea (Democratic People’s Republic), Kyrgyz Republic
• Lao (People’s Democratic Republic), Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Lesotho
• Madagascar, Maldives, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Micronesia, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar
• Namibia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria
• Pakistan, Palestine, Paraguay, Peru, Papua New Guinea, Philippines
• Rwanda
• Samoa, São Tomé and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, South Sudan, Somalia, Solomon Islands, Suriname, Sri Lanka, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Sudan, Syrian Arab Republic
• Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu
• Uganda, Uzbekistan
• Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam
• Yemen Republic
• Zambia, Zimbabwe

Participants from other countries that are neither EU Member States nor associated countries may not be eligible for funding. They typically must participate at their own expense unless explicitly stated otherwise in the work program.

Required Documents

• Application Form Part A: Administrative information about the applicant organization (submitted online).
• Application Form Part B: Technical description of the application (downloaded, completed, and uploaded as a PDF).
• Additional documents may be required for validating a legal entity, validating a bank account, conducting an ethics review, and declaring an honor.

Selection Process

Below is the selection process and criteria:

 

Evaluation Criteria:

• Degree of Innovation: Novelty and relevance to the competition’s challenge
• Usability and Inclusiveness: Accessibility and affordability of the solution.
• Positive Social Impact: Potential to address the competition’s challenge and foster collaboration.
• Viability and Sustainability: Financial and environmental sustainability of the solution.
• Scalability and Replicability: Potential for expansion and adaptation across different contexts.
• Decentralization and Governance:Enhancements in transparency and accountability.

Evaluation Phases:

• Pre-selection Phase: If more than 60 applications are received, a pre-selection panel will select the best 60.
• Jury Review: Final evaluation by a jury panel based on the award criteria.
• Final Decision: Prizes are awarded based on the jury’s evaluation, subject to mandatory checks.

Application Date and Process

• Access the Funding and Tenders Portal to submit applications electronically via the portal. Click on the link to the application website to access this portal.
• Complete Application Form Part A by providing administrative information online
• Complete Application Form Part B and upload it as a PDF.
• Make sure to include all required information and documents
• Apply by 11 June 2024, 17:00 Brussels time.

Application Deadline

11 June, 2024

Scholarship Application Portal

View details of European Social Innovation Competition 2024

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