Bravely for Innovation: A Program for Educating Social Innovators in the Visegrad Countries

Project annotation

The primary issue the Bravely for Innovation project is the limited implementation of social innovation in the V4 countries.

In this era of a risky society – characterized by rapid social change and increasingly multifaceted problems – the role of social innovations is increasing. The implementation of social innovations is mainly carried out by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in partnership with other entities. Intersectoral cooperation in post-socialist V4 countries is hindered by a relatively low level of social capital and the insufficient resources of NGOs, including their limited human resources.

To address the limited implementation of social innovation in V4 countries and the lack of academic programs dedicated to social innovation, the Bravely for Innovation project will develop a 20-hour online course tailored to the real challenges faced by NGOs in the V4 region.

Achieving the main goal of the project will be possible through the following actions:

1. Experts will assess NGOs‘ needs and design training program for social innovators.
2. At least 60 students will participate in a 20-hour training program.
3. During the training program, students will work in groups to design prototypes of social innovations that address real-world problems identified by NGOs.
4. The training program will undergo extensive evaluation.
5. Recommendations for training social innovators will be disseminated.
6. The Social Innovations Forum will be held, providing a space for the integration of students, NGOs, and experts from the V4 countries.

Project partners

• University of Lodz
• Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra
• University of Miskolc
• Prague University of Economics and Business