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Traditional Social Enterprise and Innovation Forum returns in September

Press release, 3 September 2024

 

This year, the Social Enterprise and Innovation Forum convenes to discuss Tech for Tomorrow: Empowering Social Change through Innovation. The event is held in the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania on 9 September 2024 and will be webcast. It is expected to bring together 29 speakers from 12 countries around the world for presentations and discussions. The Forum is organised for the third consecutive year by the Lithuanian Social Business Association (LiSBA) in cooperation with its partners. 

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                                   (Photo by T. Juknevičius)

 

‘This year’s Forum will become an important platform for debate, bringing together experts and leaders from a wide range of disciplines to discuss the role of technology in addressing current crises. This is a unique opportunity to inspire leaders of change and foster the development of technological solutions. The event will also provide an exclusive chance for an open dialogue with politicians on the necessary steps to boost social business in Lithuania, contribute to meeting international commitments and accelerate the implementation of the European Social Economy Action Plan,’ Viktorija Bražiūnaitė, Head of LiSBA, says. 

 

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                                    Viktorija Bražiūnaitė, Head of LiSBA  (Photo by T. Juknevičius)

 

The Forum, dedicated to social business, can make a significant difference. ‘I appreciate the opportunity to initiate this important event, which will bring together leaders and experts from a wide range of fields to discuss the role of technology in addressing modern challenges. This Forum provides a unique platform for sharing ideas and promoting innovation, which will enable progress in our country and around the globe. I am convinced that the event will give a considerable impetus for new solutions, contributing to building a sustainable and innovative future’, Kazys Starkevičius, Minister of Agriculture of the Republic of Lithuania and former Chair of the Seimas Committee on Economics, says.

 

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                                    Kazys Starkevičius, Minister of Agriculture of the Republic of Lithuania and former Chair of the Seimas Committee on Economics (Photo by T. Juknevičius)

 

‘Social business and innovation are an integral part of our future in building a fairer, more responsible and sustainable Lithuania. This Forum provides a unique opportunity for pooling together a wide range of ideas and initiatives that help to address key social challenges. I am pleased to be able to support this event and to inspire a debate, which will contribute to a growing prosperity in Lithuania. I am committed to continuing the effort to make innovation and social business an even more important part of our country’s economy and society,’ Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen, Speaker of the Seimas, says. 

 

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                                                        Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen, Speaker of the Seimas (Photo by T. Juknevičius)

 

The programme of the Forum consists of four sessions, each focusing on a different topic. Session 1, titled the Role of institutions and necessary conditions for a stronger social business ecosystem, will explore how social business and innovation contribute to economic growth and help address societal challenges, particularly during the crises of the latest decades. The presentations and interventions will focus on practical steps and strategies to foster sustainable and resilient growth of social business.

The speakers of this session include Sarah de Heusch, Director of the Social Economy Europe; Lukas Savickas, Member of the Seimas Committee on Economics; Miia Rossi-Gray, Team Leader for Social Economy, Unit for Social and Inclusive Entrepreneurship, European Commission, DG EMPL; Samuel Põldaru, representative of Social Enterprise Estonia and Partnership Manager at Impact Day; and Solveiga Ratkevičiūtė, Community Leader at L’Arche Vilnius Community and representative of the social enterprise Lobių dirbtuvės.

Session 2, titled Participatory open social innovation through interlinking valuable ecosystems, will discuss the ways in which social innovation and technology innovation ecosystems can be brought together to address the most pressing societal challenges more effectively. It will focus on the means to enhance cross-sectoral cooperation using state-of-the-art technology and social innovations. The session will be moderated by Dr Mantas Vilys, Director of the Lithuanian Innovation Centre, and the speakers include Dr Clara Duffner, Project Manager at Steinbeis Europa Zentrum; Vivien Riener, Senior Programme Manager at Grünhof e.V. association; Nicola Doppio, Open Innovation Officer at Fondazione Hub Innovazione Trentino (Trentino Innovation Hub Foundation), Italy; Jolita Butkienė, Director of the social enterprise Būk su manimi, Lithuania; Elisa Poletti, President of the social enterprise Cooperativa ALPI, Italy; and Nicolas Walter, Founder of the social enterprise HILVER, Germany. 

The lunch break will be followed by Session 3, titled Best practices: bridging the gap between tech and social innovation. This session will focus on the best practices in bridging the gap between tech and social ecosystems and on the integration of digital technologies with a view to tackling societal and environmental challenges. Presentations will be made by John Logue, CEO of Social Enterprise Republic of Ireland (SERI); Luca Pastorelli, President of the Diesis Network; Holly Langham, Partnership Manager at Reach for Change; Anna Gulevska-Chernysh, Chair of the Board of SILab Ukraine and the Ukrainian Social Venture Fund; and Agnė Gaisrė, Co-founder of the social enterprise Miesto laboratorija  

Session 4 is dedicated to a panel discussion on the Role and future of social business in a changing world. Panellists will share their insights on creating a supportive policy environment, highlight successful policy interventions, and discuss the role of technology in driving social innovation. The session will showcase best practices from different sectors, highlighting how collaborative efforts between social enterprises and technology can effectively address societal and environmental challenges. The panel discussion will be moderated by Julija Jermakova, Deputy Chair of the Board of the Lithuanian Social Business Association. The panellists include social business representatives, sustainability experts and leaders of change, namely, Jarūnė Preikšaitė, Board Member of Women Go Tech; Andrius Bagdonas, Member of the Seimas Committee on Economics; Algirdas Sysas, Member of the Seimas Committee on Social Affairs and Labour; Toby Gazeley, Policy Leader at the Euclid Network; Florian Boukal, CEO of the Grünhof e.V. association; Gerry Higgins, Founder and Managing Director of Social Enterprise World Forum; and Karel Vanderpoorten, Policy Officer at the Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (DG GROW), European Commission.  

‘We appreciate the willingness of social entrepreneurs, politicians and other key players of the ecosystem to share their insights at the event. This year, we will be having a number of participants from foreign countries and international organisations. We believe that the Forum will also contribute to bringing the social innovation and technology ecosystems closer together, which will unlock the potential to address current challenges in a more creative and effective way,’ Ms Bražiūnaitė says.

‘The entire Session 2 on Participatory open social innovation through interlinking valuable ecosystems is dedicated to bridging the gap between social and technological innovation ecosystems. In this session, we expect to discuss ways in which social innovation and technology innovation ecosystems can be brought together to address the most pressing societal challenges more effectively. We will focus on the means to enhance cross-sectoral cooperation using state-of-the-art technology and social innovations and to encourage social innovators to make more active use of tools and methodologies already employed by the players of the technological innovation ecosystem,’ Dr Mantas Vilys, moderator of Session 2 and Head of the Lithuanian Innovation Centre, says, highlighting the importance of this session. 

 

The event, held under the auspices of Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen, Speaker of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania, is co-organised for the third consecutive year by the Lithuanian Social Business Association, the Seimas Committee on Economics and other partners. For registration to the event and the programme of the Forum, follow this link:  https://lisva.org/renginiai/socialinio-verslo-ir-inovaciju-forumas-2024/ 

 

 

For more information, please contact Viktorija Bražiūnaitė, Director of the Lithuanian Social Business Association, tel. +370 620 75031.

   Last updated on 09/06/2024 07:36
   Valdas Sinkevičius