National Competence Centres for Social Innovation - Consultative Advisory Group

The National Competence Centre on Social Innovation (NCCSI) initiative is a transnational initiative involving Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, and Poland (INSISST Consortium), aimed at strengthening and expanding National Competence Centres for Social Innovation. In Ireland, the project is led by Rethink Ireland and Genio, in collaboration with the Department of Rural and Community Development (DRCD), and the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (DFHERIS).

Building on the FUSE project (2021–2023), which mapped Ireland's social innovation ecosystem, the NCCSI initiative focuses on scaling social innovations, establishing a National Competence Centre model, creating tailored funding mechanisms, raising awareness, enhancing data collection and research, developing a framework for social impact assessment, and aligning public and private funding to support social innovation.

Guided by principles of inclusivity, participation, and evidence-based collaboration, the work adopts a bottom-up, multi-stakeholder, and iterative approach. A key aspect of this is the creation of the National Consultative Advisory Group (CAG), comprising diverse social innovation representatives from public, private, community, and academic sectors to collaboratively shape mechanisms and frameworks.

The Consultative Advisory Group will play a pivotal role in advancing the NCCSI initiative by offering advice and suggestions on key areas, including:

➔ Identifying Social Innovation Ambassadors: Selecting champions from each sector to promote social innovation and raise awareness of its potential impact.

➔ Implementing a Cross-Sectoral Research Working Group: Identifying academic and research partners to define and oversee data and evidence collection on social innovation in Ireland, culminating in the creation and pilot of a live database of social innovations.

➔ Developing a Methodological Framework for Social Impact Assessment: Forming a sub-working group with government stakeholders to design a national methodological framework for assessing social impact, including an implementation and ownership plan.

➔ Exploring Innovative Funding Schemes (ie., repayable and non-repayable): Facilitating the creation of a new financial instrument or funding scheme with a blended approach bringing public and private funding with the aim of supporting social innovation to scale and maximise impact.

➔ Promoting Social Investment: Advocating for increased social investment in Ireland with the potential inclusion of tax incentives for private investors

➔ Enhancing Policy and Regulation: Identifying opportunities to enhance Ireland’s policy and regulatory environment for social innovation.

➔ Advising on Key Activities: Providing recommendations on the activities necessary to achieve the primary goals of the NCCSI call.

➔ Participating in Key Events: Actively engaging in events and meetings organised under the NCCSI call.

The Consultative Advisory Group will meet biannually, with the first meeting planned for Spring, 2025. Participation will also include meetings, calls, and email contributions, focusing on input for developing a social innovation strategy and action plan. The project concludes in June 2027.

Further details, including indicative criteria and a terms of reference for the National Consultative Advisory Group, can be found here.

Expressions of Interest must be submitted by email to louise.conlon@genio.ie by close of business on Friday 9th May 2025.