Background
The project aims to strengthen practice-based and inclusive social innovation projects for sustainable transformation. Phase 1 of the project, then called Arenas for Inclusive Transformation, was completed in 2023. The report can be found here (in Norwegian). A number of projects and processes that can be further worked on in the next phase were identified in the first phase.
About the project
The project will strengthen Include as a knowledge and transformation actor by contributing to ongoing and new projects that deal with participatory social innovation for local transformation. In particular, the project will:
- strengthen democratic innovation through the social innovation projects it is working on.
- clarify the need for competence development through the development of locally adapted courses in inclusive local transformation.
- contribute to establishing a sample database for radical inclusive local transformation that can inspire and provide a basis for the dissemination of solutions for inclusive local transformation.
- strengthen the potential for addressing transformation needs related to local/regional business development (circular solutions and smart sustainable specialization)
- contribute to processes in the field of practice related to resources use reduction through a focus on circular solutions.
Method
The project is dialogue-based, and will build on knowledge/theory, including just transition, local transition processes, innovation and change catalyst management. The work is inspired by democratic design experiments, where testing new solutions in practice is central to stimulating mutual learning processes and transition. We will initially concentrate on the following projects:
- Network for circular economy with the conference Circular Practice (in Norwegian) under the auspices of The Norwegian Association of Local and Regional Authorities (KS)
- Digital infrastructure for sharing and disseminating inclusive and radical local transition processes (co-archive) led by the Department of Education (IPED) at the University of Oslo (UiO).
- Competence development for sustainable local transformation management. Based on the continuing education course provided by the Centre for Global Development at UiO in local sustainable transformation management (in Norwegian) - further developing opportunities for locally adapted courses (regional and municipal), 2024-25.
- Competence development for using design in learning and transition (in Norwegian). Pilot for Includes municipal partners and more in 2025.
- S4U (Co-creation through simulation, scenarios, conversations, and games for and with youth) led by IPED.
Collaboration
The project is part of the research center Include and is led by Lars Wang at insam. Other participants are KS, Civitas, the Department of Education at the University of Oslo (UiO) and the Centre for Global Sustainability (UiO)
Duration
2024–2026
