Podcast : Jeanne sur l’IA et l’économie sociale

Podcast : Jeanne sur l’IA et l’économie sociale

by | 10 Jun 2025 | Actualités de SOGA, Communs & plaidoyer, Interviews / Témoignages, SOGA dans la presse

🎙️ Accélérer la transformation numérique de l’Économie Sociale et Solidaire : Jeanne Bretécher au micro du podcast Parlez-moi d’IA

Comment faire du numérique un levier au service de l’intérêt général ? Dans un épisode engagé du podcast Parlez-moi d’IA, Jeanne Bretécher, directrice du Social Good Accelerator, explore les liens entre transformation numérique de l’Économie Sociale et Solidaire (ESS), innovation sociale et technologies éthiques.

👉 Un échange essentiel pour toutes celles et ceux qui croient à un numérique au service du bien commun.

Enjeux clés : comment accompagner la transition numérique de l’ESS ?

Dans cet entretien, Jeanne revient sur les principaux défis rencontrés par les structures de l’ESS face à la révolution numérique :

  • L’inégalité d’accès aux compétences numériques,

  • La surreprésentation des logiques de marché dans les outils numériques dominants,

  • L’absence de soutien public structurant pour des modèles numériques alternatifs.

Elle défend une vision ancrée dans les valeurs de l’ESS : coopération, justice sociale, transparence, et souveraineté numérique.

Les Communs numériques comme boussole

Jeanne souligne l’importance des communs numériques dans la transition numérique ESS :
👉 mutualiser les ressources (outils, formations, données), renforcer l’autonomie des associations, créer de la valeur partagée.

Des exemples concrets sont évoqués : plateformes collaboratives, tiers-lieux numériques, solutions open source développées avec et pour les acteurs de terrain.

Le rôle du Social Good Accelerator

Le SOGA agit sur quatre leviers complémentaires :

1. Recherche sur les Communs

Pour cartographier les pratiques, identifier les freins et proposer des outils adaptés aux besoins du secteur.

2. Accompagnement collectif

Formations, ateliers, communautés d’entraide : un soutien concret pour développer les compétences numériques des structures ESS.

3. Plaidoyer

Le SOGA interpelle les décideurs européens pour intégrer les spécificités du secteur social dans les politiques numériques

4. Animation de la communauté

En ligne ou sur le terrain, le réseau SOGA accompagne les initiatives, valorise les pratiques et renforce la social tech européenne.

Pourquoi écouter ce podcast ?

Ce podcast est une invitation à :

  • Réfléchir autrement à la place du numérique dans nos sociétés,

  • Découvrir des projets inspirants portés par et pour l’ESS,

  • Comprendre comment agir, en tant qu’acteur·rice engagé·e, pour une transformation numérique inclusive.

🎧 Écoutez l’épisode complet sur YouTube

📄 Ou lisez la transcription complète ici

Écoutez l’interview complète ici :

Résumé de l’épisode :

Dans cet épisode riche et inspirant, Jeanne fait une intervention éclairée autour de trois thématiques centrales :

  • L’enjeu de la transformation numérique dans l’Économie Sociale et Solidaire (ESS)
    Jeanne décrypte comment le numérique peut à la fois représenter un risque d’acculturation et une opportunité inédite pour les structures ESS.

  • L’importance des communs et de la mutualisation
    Elle insiste sur la nécessité de développer des ressources partagées, tant techniques qu’humaines, pour renforcer l’autonomie des acteurs et promouvoir des solutions centrées sur des valeurs sociales.

  • La place du Social Good Accelerator
    Elle présente les quatre leviers de l’association – recherche sur les Communs, projets collectifs, plaidoyer, community management – et illustre leur impact concret sur les acteurs membres.

(Bonus) Jeanne illustre ses propos par des retours d’expériences et des exemples concrets montrant comment les structures tirer profit d’un accompagnement adapté.

Ce que vous allez apprendre

1. Pourquoi le numérique est-il un levier d’émancipation pour l’ESS ?

Jeanne explique comment les valeurs coopératives, la justice sociale et la démocratie peuvent être défendues dans l’espace numérique. Elle détaille aussi les freins à lever (ressources, compétences, gouvernance).

2. Quels modèles alternatifs existent déjà ?

Elle met en lumière des initiatives de tiers‑lieux, des plateformes co-conçues avec les usagers et des réseaux solidaires numériques. Des solutions innovantes qui bousculent les modèles traditionnels.

Aller plus loin : ressources pour les associations en transition numérique

Vous êtes une association en pleine réflexion sur vos outils ou pratiques numériques ? Découvrez notre sélection de projets, guides et formations.

📌 À lire aussi : IA : 3 cas d’usage de l’intelligence artificielle pour l’intérêt général

✨ En conclusion

Ce podcast est une ressource précieuse pour toute personne qui souhaite comprendre les enjeux de la transformation numérique de l’Économie Sociale et Solidaire, s’inspirer de solutions numériques éthiques et rejoindre une dynamique collective au service du bien commun.

➡ Rejoignez-nous pour inventer un numérique qui respecte les valeurs de l’ESS !

Opportunités et défis de l’IA pour l’économie sociale

Opportunités et défis de l’IA pour l’économie sociale

by | 5 Jun 2025 | Editorial, Interviews / Témoignages, Revue de presse

Le rôle des communs de données dans l’IA pour l’économie sociale

Du 12 au 15 mai 2025, Eline Coustenoble, chargée de capitalisation au Social Good Accelerator, a participé au EU-US Young Leader Seminar 2025. Le séminaire a abordé l’IA pour l’économie sociale, ses opportunités et ses défis pour les organisations de l’ESS. Dans cet article, elle détaille les conversations et leurs implications pour l’association, l’ESS, et le monde de la technologie.

L’événement était organisé par la European Union Delegation to the United States, le German Marshall Fund of the United States et la Commission for Educational Exchange between the U.S., Belgium and Luxembourg.
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The Orange Digital Center, an initiative for digital inclusion

The Orange Digital Center, an initiative for digital inclusion

by | 27 Sep 2022 | Communs & plaidoyer, Interviews / Témoignages

The Orange Digital Center, an initiative for digital inclusion

On the occasion of Orange’s membership to the SOGA, let’s get to know the Orange Digital Center in favor of digital inclusion in the territories. For this, we asked Orange teams a series of questions about this innovative project to learn more about this.

Orange digital Center, an international program to promote digital skills 

The Orange Digital Center are places where digital skills are supported and developed. From coding training to digital manufacturing and business creation, they cover a wide range of activities. Free and open to all, these centers base learning on concrete projects. Training programs dedicated to digital professions are offered to students, unemployed people, school dropouts and young entrepreneurs, for example. Most Orange Digital Center also offer workshops, training and online content.

To date (September 2022), 15 Orange Digital Center have already opened in Africa and the Middle East (Tunisia, Senegal, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Jordan, etc.). In Europe, the Brussels center in Belgium welcomed its first learners last spring, while the Saint Ouen center in France opened its doors at the beginning of June. Others will soon be opened, notably in Poland, Luxembourg, Romania, Slovakia, Spain and Moldavia. Orange has decided to deploy this concept in all the countries where it operates.

The Orange Digital Center reflect the responsibility of the Group, the leading digital operator in France. To make digital an opportunity for everyone, the basic skills associated with it must be widely mastered and accessible. This program therefore aims to reduce the inequalities linked to access, equipment, uses and mastery of the digital world, by promoting connectivity, inclusion and the development of skills, without discrimination.

Orange Digital Center

A picture of the first Orange digital center in France. Photo credit: Orange

We asked Orange teams a series of questions about this innovative project: 

With whom and how do you build your programs and workshops?

The program is present in 17 countries to date. Each Orange Digital Center organizes its programming taking into account its local context, its resources, the ecosystem present and the major objectives we have set. The programs are designed to enable the acquisition of digital skills, of course, but also to promote the professional integration of people who are far from employment and to increase the proportion of women working in technology.

The complementary nature of the coding courses, the presence of the fablab and the incubator energizes our learners’ careers. The training courses are often built with partners: local fablabs, SIMPLON in Senegal, Becode in Belgium, the AWS restart program in Tunisia, the examples are numerous.

What are the challenges that Orange Digital Center will have to overcome?

Opening centers with a training space, a fablab and incubation programs in 25 countries is a challenge in itself and we are approaching the goal with 17 ODCs open by the end of August 2022. Once all the centers are open, one of our challenges will be to maintain the momentum and added value of the programs for our beneficiaries. This international network makes it an original initiative. The animation of the ODCs should be key in order to promote capitalization, exchanges and the production of commonalities. 

How do you intend to overcome them? 

For the moment, we are still in a phase of support to our subsidiaries for the opening to the first beneficiaries. Once the network is in place, we are planning joint actions to encourage capitalization between ODCs. For example, the Orange Foundation has launched a call for projects to create training for trainers in the Orange Digital Center fablabs. The partnership with SOGA should also help us better understand the issues we want to address in Europe.

As far as the impact on our beneficiaries is concerned, we have launched social impact measurements on a few programs and, without totally generalizing the approach, we would like to continue it with regular evaluations.

What is the first feedback on the Orange Digital Center opened in Saint-Ouen?

It’s a bit early to say because the activities are just starting. 

In the field of professional integration, the “Envol numérique” pre-qualification program is aimed at young school dropouts. The aim is to give them the desire to train for a job in the digital sector. During 5 weeks of training, followed by 3 weeks of internship in a company, they will acquire know-how (web developer, coding, digital manufacturing, etc.), interpersonal skills (self-knowledge, communication, etc.) and knowledge about the environment and the impact of digital technology. The first cohort has been recruited and will start end of September 2022. The place also hosts activities for the general public. The digital workshops are aimed at all audiences and aim to familiarize themselves with uses ranging from the discovery of a smartphone to the implementation of parental controls. The place also houses a fablab which is used for discovery sessions of digital fabrication. Beyond physical locations like Saint Ouen, Orange Digital Center is the Orange Group’s flagship program for digital equality and brings together many initiatives.

Some examples of available resources

Resources to discover digital responsibility

There are many free online workshops and courses available to everyone. For example, if a person is a beginner, he or she will be offered an online workshop on how to protect personal data. For parents, the digital platform offers for example a workshop to understand parental control and to set up appropriate protections. If you have a child who loves soccer, the French soccer federation has developed tools and awareness programs for responsible digital use. 

Resources to learn how to use digital tools

Training courses are offered to learn how to make the best use of digital tools. For example, the SuperCoders program allows hospitalized children to escape and have fun while learning to code. For job seekers, the Blabla Code program offers training to sharpen your digital skills and boost your resume. But you can also go on an apprenticeship in FabLabs, places where a professional or an individual can come, freely or with prior registration, to bring one of their projects to life, using innovative machines: 3D printer, connected embroidery machine, etc.

Entrepreneurial resources 

The Orange Digital Center offer useful resources to help you get started in entrepreneurship. You can find a guide to entrepreneurship, information on how to create a business, how to equip yourself and with which tools. Women entrepreneurs are also honored with presentations of inspiring women’s stories. You will also find resources related to the protection of your data and communication on the Internet. 

We hope you learned something new and that it will be useful in your digital transition or in supporting the digital transition! For more information visit their website.

 

About the author

Justine Coopman
justine(at)socialgoodaccelerator.eu
Communication, Community and European public affairs
Lille, France
‘It was a successful experience’, Social Economy Europe’s view on the European Social Economy Summit.

‘It was a successful experience’, Social Economy Europe’s view on the European Social Economy Summit.

by | 17 May 2022 | Communs & plaidoyer, Editorial, Interviews / Témoignages

‘It was a successful experience’, Social Economy Europe’s view of the european social economy summit

The European summit on the social economy brought together nearly 2000 participants on 5 and 6 May 2022 in Strasbourg. Organised in the framework of the French Presidency of the European Union with the support of the Eurometropole of Strasbourg, the objective was to discuss the place of the social economy in the European Union and its future through conferences, workshops and meetings.

The Social Good Accelerator, member of the steering committee of the event, was present and contributed to the promotion and dissemination of its ideas, namely raising awareness on the necessary digital transition of the social economy through two workshops and a conference.

Our member, Social Economy Europe, also a member of the steering committee of the event, also participated in this summit through numerous workshops and conferences.

This interview with Victor Meseguer, Director at Social Economy Europe, aims to enrich the feedback on this major European summit for the social economy.

From the Social Economy Europe side, how did you prepare for this event?

The preparation of the event started in June 2021. The first meeting took place with Pierre Roth and Sandra Guilmin in Brussels at the time when they were exploring the different funding options for the European social economy summit (hereafter “Conference”). At that time, it was already known that the French Presidency of the Council of the European Union was going to take place, so it was expected that there would be a strong presence of the French Presidency, but also a strong presence of the European Commission, which was present through human resources and political representatives. In July 2021, the Social Economy Europe (SEE) team travelled to Strasbourg with the presidents and co-presidents of the European Parliament’s social economy intergroup to have a meeting with the Mayor of Strasbourg. The exchanges focused on the expectations related to the Conference.

This Conference was expected to be the major european conference of the social economy in 2022. We can also say that there was a sort of handover of legitimacy at the end of the social economy summit in Mannheim in 2021.

From then on, the way of working was similar to that of the SOGA, notably through meetings to co-construct the event. The added value of SEE was also similar to that of SOGA. Our aim was to create bridges between actors, to ensure that the Conference had a European dimension, that it responded well to the interests of Social Economy actors. Our added value as a network is our ability to mobilise people, networks and organisations across Europe.

Also, on the SEE side, we organised our general assembly in Strasbourg, the day before the Conference, which allowed us to mobilise most of our members. 

From the SEE side, how did the workshops go? In particular the one on transition pathways, what did you learn from it?

It was an interesting workshop. We mobilised between 30 and 50 people. There were key players in the social economy in the room: both major European networks, for example Cooperative Europe, Philea, ESS France Outre-mer and others. We also managed to mobilise two players who are strongly committed to the social economy in the territories: the region of Brussels and the region of Navarra in northern Spain. 

‘It was a successful experience, a first opportunity to educate on a subject that is difficult to understand, not that it is difficult as such, but it is mainly the terminology, the slang that can cause problems. When we talk about transition pathways for the social economy, we are talking about a big strategic plan where everyone must be involved and express their expectations and needs. On this last point, there is a problem of connection with reality. So this workshop was a step to start explaining the exercise we are doing and its importance. 

Also, we gathered some interesting information. First of all, the problem with the transition pathways is that you have a lot of access to generalist experts, people who are very knowledgeable about the whole subject of social economy. But it is difficult to find people with expertise on the green transition and the digital transition. There is a second problem. We don’t capture the whole reality of the social economy. We need to capture the whole reality of the social economy, which is much broader. The Social Good Accelerator has a key role to play on this point to get its network involved. 

You had a stand shared with ESS France and the CRESS Grand Est. What were the interactions with the public? What types of exchanges did you have?

We had quite a few people from very different backgrounds who came by, including a representative of a Greek association and a journalist from Euractiv, for example. Many of them asked for information on social economy and information on how to join us.  

Juan Antonio Pedreño maintains Social Economy Europe’s vision for the future of the sector in the continent, in Strasbourg.

Photo credit: Social Economy Europe

The social economy, the future of Europe: that was the name of this forum. What can we retain from this summit for the future of SSE?

We can retain these key words: alliance, change of scale, major macroeconomic objectives. Our objective is indeed to move from 6.3% of employment in SSE in Europe (i.e. 13.6M jobs) to 10% (i.e. more than 22M jobs) in 2030 by the time of the action plan.

‘The Social Economy Action Plan is our window of opportunity to grow.’

It is not about growing for the sake of growing, it is not about growing for the sake of more money, but it is about growing to create more quality jobs in Europe, to create more integration for disadvantaged groups and/or those at risk of social exclusion, to create more social, environmental and technological innovation and to be the major player in Europe in digital, green and fair transitions. To grow, we need to meet and get to know each other. We need to build more alliances on a European scale, starting from the local level. In this respect, we have a big window of opportunity on our table with the European Social Economy plan.

Are you satisfied with this summit?

We are very satisfied because there were 2000 people registered. There was a risk that it would be very Francophone, but I don’t think that was the case. I saw people from all over Europe: from Lithuania, Ukraine, Latvia, Poland, Romania, Ireland.

You can also see that everything is in place to jump. This is the image of the trampoline. To jump, we need a lot of cooperation and alliances. The principle of the social economy is cooperation, but we can do much better in this area.

What are the next steps for Social Economy Europe?

The next steps are to keep growing. We have recently welcomed two new members, one from Ukraine and one from Poland. We are the voice of the 2.8M social economy organisations in Europe. We aim to represent not only European but also pan-European networks.

We have 2 other key objectives that will happen soon. Before the summer, we want to write a policy paper on the implementation of the action plan with concrete proposals. Since 2014, we have made two proposals for an action plan. For example, we asked for the single platform on the social economy, which the European Commission accepted. But now we have to go further and say what exactly we want through this platform. The new policy paper will address this issue. In parallel, we are undertaking a strategic reflection process to consolidate the organisation.

About the author

Justine Coopman
justine(at)socialgoodaccelerator.eu
Public Affairs and Communication
Lille, France
La MedNum, “a singular structure” for digital inclusion

La MedNum, “a singular structure” for digital inclusion

by | 25 Mar 2022 | Communs & plaidoyer, Editorial, Interviews / Témoignages

La MedNum, “a singular structure” for digital inclusion

On March 15, 2022, Guilhem Pradalié, Managing Director of the MedNum, member of the Social Good Accelerator, granted us an interview during which he comes back on what the MedNum is, what are its projects, challenges and his role within the SOGA.

Guilhem Pradalié
(General Director of La MedNum)

Can you tell us about your professional background?

I have a background in economics and a master’s degree from Sciences Po Paris. I worked for ten years in the mutual insurance sector, at the Mutuelle générale de l’Éducation nationale (MGEN). I worked on various digital and innovation programmes, then in the group’s strategy department.

I was then advisor to the President, in charge of economic and financial issues, strategy and digital commitments until September 2021. I joined La MedNum as Managing Director in October 2021. Attached to the issues of digital inclusion and mediation, I mobilise the teams of the cooperative to facilitate and amplify the virtuous action of MedNum’s members on all territories.

What is MedNum?

MedNum is a singular structure. Indeed, it is a cooperative (NDLR Société coopérative d’intérêt collectif, i.e. a SCIC) which gathers very diverse members, all actors of digital inclusion. It fulfills missions of representation and structuring of a sector while carrying out “project” and “consulting” activities around the industrialisation of digital inclusion solutions. We work with our members to create national projects. The objective is to help the sector to develop while carrying the voice of its actors.

Who composes MedNum?

The team is composed of about 15 people. We have recently reorganised our activities around 3 departments: a research and advocacy department, a project department which is transversal and a finance and member services department which should be created at the end of the first semester. Finally, the general management is responsible for the communication and cooperative life departments, which are essential for the good animation of our networks and the promotion of our members’ actions.

But MedNum is composed of very diverse actors: more than 100 members, local authorities, the State, economic actors and other types of actors such as private individuals, actors of digital mediation who carry together, beyond the social issue, the values of the free, the common… In short, digital technology in the service of the general interest.

Speaking of values, what are those of MedNum?

First and foremost, we are attached to the common good and the general interest. This is reflected in the very form of our cooperative and in the way it operates. We intervene more broadly on all subjects by developing the idea of a responsible digital technology accessible to all (health, territories, education, reception of refugees, culture…). We are obviously very attached to the culture of the free internet and the commons, like many of our members.

You implement these values in particular through the projects that you carry out. Which of these projects makes you the most proud?

It’s hard to choose, because the projects are all important! But I would say, because of the current context of the war in Ukraine, that “refugiés.info” is the one that makes me most proud. The teams are personally committed to it, putting all their skills at its service. There is a big human investment in this project, which is currently the government’s official platform for connecting French people who want to help with accommodation with associations and people who express the need.

What does the Réfugiés.info project consist of?

In “normal” times, it is an information portal, contributory and open-source, co-developed with the Interministerial Delegation for the Reception and Integration of Refugees, which provides simple and translated information to refugees and their carers.

This project helps refugees to find an initiative, a training adapted to their situation, to understand the administrative procedures or to consult the directory to find an association.

This platform works like Wikipedia: everyone can contribute by writing or translating practical information.

If you had to summarise the main challenges of MedNum today, what would they be?

First of all, it would be to succeed in making the voice of our members heard during the various upcoming elections, presidential and legislative. We have big objectives around data projects this year, but also around the launch of a version 2 of the telephone platforms for help and support in everyday digital uses.

 
 

The presidential elections are coming soon in France. You have published your proposals for the 2022 presidential election. What problem do you address and what solutions do you advocate? 

In France, more than 14 million people are said to be in a situation of digital fragility, i.e. remote, unequipped and/or in great difficulty with the various uses of digital technology. This is the social justice issue to which we are responding.

We recommend actions on 4 important themes for our members: education, employment and purchasing power, health and the environment.

We especially insist on the need to create a real professional sector of digital mediation, by working for example on the stability of the financing of digital inclusion structures, to offer digital services accessible to all and everywhere and to promote a digital society of general interest, free, open, universal and collective.

In terms of education, we propose to make digital education a priority in education, from primary to higher education, in order to train the enlightened citizens of tomorrow, and to equip, raise awareness and train professionals in education and social support. But also to affirm the complementarities between mediation and digital education while paying specific attention to particularly remote audiences.

On the issues of employment and purchasing power, we are working to intensify efforts to train and support young people and jobseekers in digital technology; to make businesses a real place for learning about digital technology; to support small organisations in their digital transformation; and to make digital technology an accelerator of citizens’ purchasing power. We defend, for example, the implementation of a real “social internet tariff” for low-income households.

Finally, in terms of health, La MedNum proposes to act as close as possible to people in fragile situations to guarantee them access to information and care, to reinforce the acculturation dynamic between digital mediation and the world of health and to create the conditions for user confidence in the use of digital health.

Finally, what are your links and your expectations of the Social Good Accelerator?

La MedNum has been a member of the Social Good Accelerator for two years. We are partners in the Social Tech Academy project, which explores the digital skills of the SSE to create an information portal, and members of the European Public Affairs working group.

For many people, European issues still seem far away, but we are convinced that running projects of this scale is effective, both in terms of sharing good practice with our neighbours, and in stimulating interesting policy developments for the Social Economy sector and digital inclusion in particular.

Being part of the Social Good Accelerator allows us to have a common environment to express our expectations and to pool the means to achieve them. This is a direct extension of the way we work with our members and is particularly in line with our values.

About the author

Justine Coopman
justine(at)socialgoodaccelerator.eu
Public Affairs and Communication
Lille, France

Interview with Matt Stokes, Senior Researcher, Foundation Nesta

by | 11 Jul 2018 | Communs & plaidoyer, Interviews / Témoignages

The Social Good Accelerator had the pleasure of interviewing Matt Stokes, a senior researcher in Collaborative Economy at Innovation Foundation Nesta and lead of the Horizon 2020-funded DSI4EU project, on his opinions on #SocialGoodTech. In addition, Matt has become a collaborator on our European Study as a part of the expert committee as well as an interviewee, with the first results to be presented in November 2018. Can you present DSI4EU and Nesta? Nesta is a global innovation foundation with a mission to back new ideas to tackle the big challenges of our time. Using our knowledge, networks, funding and skills, we work hard for new opportunities and challenges, to spark creative answers, to shape ideas into practical solutions and to shift systems in a new direction. We have been working in the field of digital social innovation (DSI) since 2013, exploring and supporting the people, projects and organisations across Europe who are using open and collaborative technologies to tackle social challenges. We’ve published landmark reports including Growing a digital social innovation ecosystem for Europe and What next for digital social innovation?, and developed an online hub for the community at digitalsocial.eu, where people can find information, stories, case studies, funding opportunities, events and Europe’s largest database of DSI organisations and projects. This program is supported by the European Commission and works within a network of actors. Can you explain the partnerships? One of Nesta’s core values is to never work alone, and since entering the field of DSI we’ve collaborated with several organisations. Currently, we’re working with six organisations – Waag (Netherlands), WeMake (Italy), betterplace lab (Germany), Barcelona Activa and Fab Lab Barcelona (Spain) and the ePaństwo Foundation (Poland). We bring together our complementary skills, networks and knowledge to maximise impact. Since the very beginning, our work in DSI has been made possible thanks to the generous funding of the European Commission, specifically the Directorate‑General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology (DG-CONNECT). The Commission was one of the first big organisations to recognise the potential of technology for tackling social challenges and has funded over 50 projects within Horizon 2020’s CAPS (Collective Awareness Platforms for Sustainability) programme. We believe that one of our key roles is to help shape a shared agenda for DSI in Europe, to influence policy and to build new connections to speed up growth and maximise impact. What have been the key achievements and results of DSI4EU? What are the prospects for the coming months? The heart of the project is the digitalsocial.eu website, which is a valuable resource for all types of stakeholders. At the moment, we’re investing heavily in further development to make it even more useful, including growing the library of case studies. In our current project, we’re really excited to be increasing our policy engagement, through the development of a DSI Index which will measure how different countries and cities are supporting DSI and create a bank of ideas for policymakers. We’re also developing six “DSI clusters”, programmes of activity focused on specific social areas, which are helping practitioners on the ground maximise their impact. On the research side, we’re kicking off some exciting future-focused work, looking at how emerging tech trends will affect the development of DSI and building positive future scenarios for how technology can help us to address social challenges a decade down the line.

“A lot of the social sector, including charities in particular, lack digital skills and don’t know how to make the most of the opportunities. At the same time, huge amounts of money have gone into research and innovation for digital products, but a tiny fraction has been devoted to socially-oriented digital innovation.”

In relation to your work, why is the pledge of the Social Good Accelerator for “More tech in social good, more social good in tech” important in Europe? Why is this commitment relevant, in your opinion? This pledge is important because it goes to the heart of what DSI aims to achieve. Over the past few years, social innovation has attracted more and more attention, but relatively little has been devoted to how technology can be used as a tool. A lot of actors in the social sector, including charities, lack digital skills and are struggling to make the most of the opportunities. At the same time, huge amounts of money have gone into research and innovation for digital technologies, but a tiny fraction has been devoted to socially-oriented digital innovation. Alongside this, over the past years pressing issues have come to the forefront of the very foundations of technology: concentration of power and money in the hands of a small number of tech giants, threats to net neutrality (particularly in the US), censorship, surveillance, big data and artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and the nebulous spectre of “fake news.” We think DSI also has a role in influencing the development of technology in a more responsible, ethical and inclusive direction. What could we do together to accelerate digital social innovation? There are loads of opportunities for collaboration, from events and research contributions to joint efforts in influencing policy and network-building. We believe that one of the reasons DSI hasn’t reached its full potential is that there isn’t always a shared agenda and a sense of community. Indeed, we still can’t decide what to call the field – social tech, digital social innovation, tech for good, civic tech, good tech… the list goes on. By building a movement together we’re more likely to be able to grow the impact of DSI, and so we’re always keen to work with organisations across and beyond Europe. From the Social Good Accelerator Team: If you want more information on the Horizon 2020 program, how you can apply (applications close in the coming weeks), or the new program, Horizon Europe 2027, sign up for our newsletter and/or contact us for more information.