Social Innovation Park, Greater Bilbao

Where is the case study from?

The Social Innovation Park is in Santurtzi (Great Bilbao), in the Basque Country, Spain

What triggered the innovation?

The Social Innovation Park aims to be the world's first experiment in creating a 'social silicon valley'.  It is managed by Denokinn, the Basque centre for social and corporate innovation, which is owned by local authorities around the Bilbao area. 

The area is one of declining industries - such as fishing - and has high unemployment.  The innovation was triggered by a desire to create employment through social businesses.   Many of those behind the Social Innovation Park had been involved in the Mondragon cooperative movement, and wanted to create something similar.  By providing an environment where social leaders and institutions can cooperate and learn from each other to create new products and services, and as a result, create jobs. 

What the nature of the innovation?

The Social Innovation Park has created a cluster for social innovation, and the infrastructure to support social innovation by providing space for projects where people can come together. For the first time, third Sector organizations, charities, NGOs and businesses focused on social innovation will have the opportunity to work together, learn from each other and develop new joint enterprises in a highly innovative environment.

The Park hosts:

• A 'Society Lab' to identify emerging social trends, tendencies and unmet needs.  These are identified through the application of participatory democracy methodologies.  In response innovative approaches to publically provided social services will be developed.  The research areas will be guided by the park's members;
• A 'Social Innovation Laboratory', providing the opportunity for those based in the park to work together to generate new social enterprises that will be incubated in the park, with access to training, mentoring and evaluation in the process;
• A 'Social Enterprise Generator', enabling those in receipt of employment and social security benefits to work for the park's enterprises and test entrepreneurial ideas without losing their benefits;
• A 'Social Innovation Academy' specific training for upgrading the quality of services for third sector institutions, organisations and enterprises will also be available.

The focus is on identifying large scale projects, rather than the small piecemeal social innovations.  A process is followed whereby an idea is conceptualised, the right people to work on it identified, training undertaken and prototyping carried out.  Each project is supported to the point when it is market ready.

The local authorities have played a key role in helping to find support for individual projects.

An example of a project underway is the 'hospice at home' model.  Spain does not have a hospice movement and palliative care was identified as a public service gap.  The 'hospice at home' model was adapted, with unemployed people trained to provide care support.  While the project was being trialled the savings accrued as a result of people not being admitted to hospital were calculated.  This was used to broker an agreement with the local authority whereby the project keeps half the savings to fund their work, and the local authority keeps the other half.

The social innovation park has been up and running for two years.  So far 100 jobs have been created and talented people are being attracted to locate in the area.

What are the key lessons?

• It is difficult for local authorities to be proactive and identify service innovations.  They are better at making incremental changes to existing services.  To make more fundamental change requires different questions to be asked.  The social innovation park provides a systematic infrastructure for identifying new approaches which is rooted in the capacity of the area and its challenges and opportunities.
• We must be willing to accept failure
• Establishing collaboration of equals from thefor profit and not for profit sectors can produce very rich results.

More information and contacts

http://www.denokinn.eu/denokinn/i-index.asp

http://gorkaespiau.wordpress.com

Gorka Espiau,  Head of International Programs at Innovalab

gespiau@denokinn.eu