Позитивные изменения. Том 3, № 3 (2023). Positive changes. Volume 3, Issue 3 (2023)

The emphasis on interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approaches highlights the diverse nature of project teams and competition groups. These teams typically include individuals from various academic disciplines, which enriches the problem-solving process by bringing in different perspectives. In less common cases, these solutions can be built as part of a single academic program. While private tenders may have specific focuses, such as digitalizing NGOs, this specialization often arises from the initiatives of individuals who recognize the importance of integrating such components into their training programs.

4. Engagement in Educational and Research Activities, their Mutual Penetration

The active integration and mutual penetration of social innovation models with educational and research activities is a significant property of social innovation development models. Apparently, carrying out project activities in the format of innovative projects aimed at addressing specific social and environmental problems is more comprehensible and reasonable. However, this interaction can also follow a more systemic and in-depth format. For example, universities that actively develop social and innovative activities view this direction as a basis for adjusting and enhancing educational programs. This includes supplementing entrepreneurial education programs with courses on social entrepreneurship, creating programs to study specific social and environmental issues, offering courses on social design and social impact assessment, and establishing entire institutes of interdisciplinary courses. These interdisciplinary courses are open to students of all majors, enabling them to better understand the social landscape at regional, national, and global levels.

5. Open Source

An important and not always easily observed property of the social innovation development models is the inclination of universities involved to openly share and disseminate their projects and solutions. It involves creating libraries of best practices and fostering regional and international cooperation. Numerous large-scale examples of multi-country collaboration exist, wherein organizations create local partnerships, then merge them into expansive networks interested in promoting social innovation. Unlike fields such as technology and business, where intellectual property rights and patents often play a protective role, social innovation encourages open sharing and exchange. This approach makes sense because many countries share common social challenges, and open collaboration can accelerate progress by leveraging shared knowledge and solutions.

6. Networking

Another notable aspect involves universities’ commitment to fostering active network collaboration as part of their social innovation development efforts. On the one hand, as mentioned earlier, this entails engaging the third sector and representatives from governmental bodies responsible for formulating and implementing social policies and programs. On the other hand, it encompasses universities working closely with one another and with businesses (both local and global enterprises) and all other potential stakeholders. This collaborative approach becomes entirely feasible when there is a shared commitment to the transparency of the innovative solutions proposed in the realm of social change.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR SOCIAL INNOVATION DEVELOPMENT

The features of social innovation development models listed above have enabled the researchers to outline a series of recommendations for enhancing social innovation within universities. These recommendations follow a hierarchical approach, from those that require minimal resource allocation, including organizational adjustments, to those that demand extensive transformation of the university’s operations.

1. Diversifying Implementation Formats for Advancing Social Innovation, Maintaining Their Systemic Interaction

• Establishing social innovation incubators with the goal of supporting social entrepreneurs and student startups.

• Creating a “hub” for social innovation development that facilitates interaction among all sectors, including businesses, NGOs, and government agencies, to facilitate the transfer of information, knowledge, and technologies.