DepoSIt: Development and testing of the European Innovation Audit tool for Social Innovation

This trial brings together six organisations across Europe (the Steinbeis-Europa-Zentrum, the Croatian Chamber of Economy, the South Muntenia Regional Development Agency, the Fomento San Sebastian, the Business Development Friesland and the Friuli Innovazione) to develop and test a novel version of the European Innovation Audit Tool that includes a strong social innovation element.

The DepoSIt project is based on the observation that SMEs are missing out on opportunities to bring products and services to market that could potentially have positive social impacts as well as benefits for the businesses themselves. The consortium of agencies behind the project believes that this type of ‘social innovation’ can be promoted by encouraging businesses to engage with civil society and local communities to become aware of opportunities they had not previously considered.

Innovation audits are already used by innovation agencies to help businesses understand where they have unmet potential for innovation, and to put in place strategies to meet this potential. Under the DepoSIt project, an existing innovation audit tool was adapted to include questions relating to social innovation. The results of this tool were then discussed with companies, with the aim that this would increase their knowledge and awareness of the potential of social innovation and help them find opportunities to engage in social innovation in the future.