The Young Foundation has played a leading role in the development of the field of social innovation through the Social Innovation Europe initiative, the Social Innovation eXchange (SIX) network, and a range of publications. We are now part of an ambitious consortium of leading European research institutions delivering a three-year programme of research that aims to build the theoretical, empirical and policy foundations for building social innovation in Europe - TEPSIE.

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The field of social innovation is developing rapidly but the ability of Europe to coordinate and galvanise activities across EU Member States is limited by the lack of the systematic and sophisticated infrastructures of support. The TEPSIE research programme is aimed at developing tools, methods and policies to help inform the EU strategy for social innovation. Its purpose is to strengthen the foundations for other researchers, policy-makers and practitioners so that they can analyse and plan with greater confidence.

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The Centre for Policy Studies launched a new report ‘Growth, growth, growth' at the end of 2011, to accompany the Chancellor's autumn statement. Introducing the report, CPS director Tim Knox commented:

"As economic storm clouds loom, the Coalition must do all it can to ensure that we have the right conditions in place for long-term private sector growth and prosperity. Boldness and conviction will be crucial."

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John Capek, Executive Vice President of Medical Devices at Abbott Labs, puts into context the impact of healthcare reform, on a global basis, on the delivery of technologies. His talk maintains a special focus on medical devices as he discusses the major trends that affect how Abbott considers technologies as they are brought into the market, and how companies in the healthcare sector are dealing with the current turbulent times.

It's been a busy few weeks for Young Foundation venture We Do Ideas. Since concluding their successful pilot with Northampton University, the We do Ideas team have been reviewing and consolidating their ideation experiences in order to produce an Ideation Toolkit. We Do Ideas also saw a key development this fortnight in the shape of official 'independent business' status- We Do Ideas Ltd is now an official independent business.

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The rate of change of Asian mega cities dwarfs the European and North American experience. In South Korea, urban development in the capital Seoul is characterised by the replacement of older neighbourhoods with acres of anonymous looking new apartment blocks. But at the same time neighbourhoods are flourishing in many of the older ‘hanoc' areas - often called urban ‘villages'.

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This audio interview from the Environmental Defense Fund's Future of Green Calls covers complex interactions of the philanthropy sector, socially conscientious nonprofit organizations, and for-profit businesses with FSG Co-Founder Mark Kramer. Kramer outlines how corporate social responsibility (CSR) acts as a lever to minimize environmental harms done by daily business activities. Also covered are how natural resources are consumed by industries and a discussion about sustainability practices.

Communities around the world are facing deep challenges. The problems facing us today are more complex, inter-dependent and accelerating faster than can be solved through traditional approaches. There is a growing global community of social sector leaders and practitioners who recognise that a reliance on old ways of working is part of the problem: not only do we have to change ‘what' we do in response to these challenges but, even more importantly, we must change ‘how' we facilitate meaningful development and social change.

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The Young Foundation, supported by the Rockefeller Foundation, is putting out an open call for inspiring stories which give a ‘behind the scenes' view on how social change unfolds. Our goal is to uncover new and untapped ways to catalyse social change, and highlight What Works?

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Embargo: 00.01 Wednesday 23 November, 2011

Wanted - Social Designers to Plan Future Communities

A new profession of ‘social designers' is needed to create future sustainable communities, towns and cities according to a report published today (23 November 2011) by the Young Foundation. As government announces new plans to kick start house building in the UK, the report argues that new developments will continue to be undermined by expensive mistakes unless the knowledge and experience available within professional silos is brought together.

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Under strict embargo until 00:01 Monday 21 November, 2011

First quantitative survey of social investment in England finds £165 million of investment in 2010 dominated by secured lending.

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The UK has a long history of developing innovative approaches to meeting social needs. With the establishment of Big Society Capital and the development of new products such as social impact bonds the UK is leading the world in this area. A new social investment industry is promising to unlock innovation and growth in the social sector by providing social ventures with access to the funding that they have been unable to obtain from traditional lenders.

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What do we want to achieve by sending our children to school?

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Social Impact Bonds are an innovative financial tool which can be adopted to revolutionise the way preventative programmes are funded, allowing the government to achieve ‘more for less' from public services. The government already views Social Impact Bonds as one of the many tools for investing in and achieving social outcomes, particularly in the field of criminal justice.

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Sure Start was a flagship policy of the last government - a New Labour initiative launched in 1998 that aimed to address the long-neglected policy area of children's early years. As a large-scale social innovation Sure Start operates across England, bringing together a wide range of stakeholders to deliver a variety of services.

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Just back from Korea from a whistlestop tour of three Cities (Bucheon in the North, Jeonju in the South and the capital Seoul) talking to people, mainly from local government and public services, about social innovation and the Young Foundation's work, especially how it applies to building communities and neighbourhoods. Not that we have much to teach the Koreans ...

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Teaching is one of the most demanding and rewarding callings there is. So agree teachers and teacher advancement experts in this panel discussion. Speaking at the GS|SU Global Education Conference at Stanford, panelists talk about what their organizations are doing to support teachers, and the most successful efforts and investments aimed at recruiting, strengthening, and retaining our teacher corps.