July 2026 Theme 2026: Strengthening Democracy through Social Innovations and Increasing their Reach To learn more about this year's Incubator Programme, click here.

JUNE 2026 Europe needs your voice This call is very similar to the statement published by our partner Euclid Network (The Hague), which we fully support: We have officially signed the Madrid Declaration calling for stronger recognition and funding of social innovation within the EU’s Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) for 2028–2034. By doing so, we have joined more than 80 organisations from across Europe that are advocating for this goal as part of a joint initiative coordinated by the European National Competence Centres for Social Innovation. The Declaration was adopted on 5 May 2026 during the Mutual Learning Event of the European National Competence Centres for Social Innovation in Madrid, Spain — an event bringing together experts from 19 EU Member States working in the fields of social innovation policy and practice. The Declaration represents the strongest joint call to date from the European social innovation ecosystem: its signatories include public authorities, research institutions, social enterprises, civil society organisations, and national competence bodies. The European Commission is currently negotiating the next Multiannual Financial Framework — the EU’s seven-year budget that will determine investment priorities from 2028 to 2034. In its current form, the proposal only addresses social innovation to a limited extent, despite its direct relevance to many of the package’s key priorities: quality employment, social inclusion, territorial cohesion, resilience, and the green and digital transitions. The Declaration argues that this represents a structural imbalance — one that must be addressed while the future budget architecture is still being shaped. The Declaration sets out five concrete demands. It calls on EU institutions and Member States to: → Explicitly recognise social innovation as a cross-cutting implementation approach within the MFF → Establish clear and transparent funding pathways through national and regional partnership plans as well as the EU Facility → Maintain and expand dedicated ESF+ funding for social innovation, experimentation, ecosystem infrastructure, and scaling → Strengthen the integration of socially innovative enterprises and approaches into competitiveness and research funding instruments → Provide sustainable structural support to National Competence Centres and intermediary organisations that effectively implement social innovation at scale We have signed this Declaration because we believe that Europe’s most pressing challenges — including inequality, democratic fragility, demographic change, access to essential services, and the green and digital transitions — require social innovation more than ever as an alternative to standard approaches. They require the ability to experiment, learn from successful solutions, and build the infrastructure needed for these solutions to grow and achieve impact. This is exactly what social innovation provides. And it deserves a permanent, structural place in European investment policy. You can access the Madrid Declaration and sign it here: → SIGN THE DECLARATION → MADRID DECLARATION

May 2026 Making Our Voices Heard "Making our voices heard. " This statement perfectly captures the spirit of the Parliamentary Evening on the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) in Kiel. The event was hosted by the State Association of Independent Welfare Organisations (LAG Freie Wohlfahrtspflege) and initiated by our KoSI cooperation partner Diakonie Schleswig-Holstein, together with other social partners, including the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB Nord), the European Movement Germany, and the Jobcenter. One message stood out clearly throughout the evening: the debate on the next EU budget is not merely a technical discussion about public finances—it is a political decision about Europe's future. It will determine whether the social dimension of Europe is strengthened or weakened. The ESF+ is not a peripheral funding instrument. It is a cornerstone of social inclusion, labour market integration, and social cohesion—not least in Schleswig-Holstein. The event was opened and moderated by Eka von Kalben, Chair of the Parliamentary Group of Alliance 90/The Greens in the Schleswig-Holstein State Parliament. She highlighted the close connection between European budget decisions and regional realities. Some of the most powerful moments came from people directly affected by ESF+-funded projects. They shared how these initiatives had opened up new opportunities for them—whether by supporting their transition into vocational training, helping them overcome homelessness, or enabling them to build new perspectives for their lives. At the same time, participants stressed that weakening the European Social Fund in the current negotiations—or shifting funding priorities towards competitiveness alone—would have immediate consequences for the most vulnerable members of society. The message from the welfare organisations and their partners was therefore unmistakable: the ESF must not become a bargaining chip. It is an investment in democracy, social cohesion, and Europe's future. The participation of representatives from all parliamentary groups in the Schleswig-Holstein State Parliament, as well as the three Members of the European Parliament representing Schleswig-Holstein—Delara Burkhardt, Rasmus Andresen, and Niclas Herbst—was widely seen as an important signal of political support. As our KoSI cooperation partner Dr Grit Kühne from Diakonie Schleswig-Holstein concluded: "We were heard. And we will keep the momentum going."