The annual International Social Innovation Research Conference (ISIRC) will be held from 3rd to 5th September 2018 at Heidelberg University.

Call for Papers

ISIRC is the world’s leading interdisciplinary social innovation research conference. The conference brings together scholars from across the globe to discuss social innovation in a variety of perspectives. ISIRC 2018 is hosted by the Ruprecht-Karls-University Heidelberg, Center for Social Investment and Innovation in cooperation with the Westphalian University Gelsenkirchen, Institute for Work and Technology. The conference will take place at the heart of the old town of Heidelberg, a wonderful combination of old and new buildings, narrow streets, market squares, arts, history and science.

Social innovation has clearly gained momentum over the past decade, spurred notably by the growing interest in theory, practice and policy. Manifested in new ways of doing things, distinct social relations, changes in perceptions or novel solutions, social innovations are often presented as an alternative to business (profit-oriented) innovation to cope with societal challenges at hand. While major progress has been made in understanding social innovation trajectories, drivers and barriers, business models and institutions, significant work is still required to position the distinct (disciplinary) analytical, conceptual and theoretical contributions in the 'classical' innovation research. On the other hand, social innovation has largely been overlooked by the majority of innovation literature, with the mainstream of research traditionally focusing on technological innovation, or more generally, business innovation.

The tenth annual International Social Innovation Research Conference (ISIRC 2018) strives to bridge the as yet largely unrelated research fields of social and business innovation and invites theoretical, methodological and empirical contributions drawing on different disciplines. Planned streams are:
- Expanding Theory (Stream chair: Dieter Rehfeld)
- Future Prospects for Social Innovation Measurement (Stream chairs: Judith Terstriep & Georg Mildenberger)
- Critical Perspectives on Social Innovation (Stream chair: Simon Teasdale & Benedetta De Pieri)
- Hybridity, Governance & Organising Social Innovation (Stream chairs: Bob Doherty & Roger Spear)
- Financing Social Innovation & Social Investment (Stream chair: Alex Nichols)
- Social Innovation and Complexity (Stream chairs: Sharon Zivkovic & Christine Woods)
- Social Innovation and Sustainability (Stream chair: Rafael Ziegler)
- New Ways of Planning & Policy Production (N.N.)
- Social Innovation & Food (Stream chair: Alex Murdock)
- Social Innovation and Forced Migration (Stream chair: Simone Baglioni & Francesca Calò)
- Health & Wellbeing (Stream chair: Michael Roy)
- Digital Social Innovation (Stream chair: Céderic Gossart, Müge Özman & Matt Stokes)
- Social Innovation in rural and/or deprived Regions (Stream chairs: Manfred Perlik, Carla Barlagne & Gillian Sullivan Mort)
- Design for Social Innovation for Place and Community (Stream chair: Arianna Mazzeo)
- Social Innovation in Education (Stream chair: Ekkehard Thümler)

More detailed calls for papers for the individual streams can be found on the conference website:
http://www.isircconference2018.com/
which will be continuously updated within the next weeks.

Deadline for paper abstracts (not exceeding 400 words) and panel proposals (not exceed 1000 words) is 30 March 2018.

All contributions must be submitted via the conference website.

ISIRC 2018 organising committee

Dr. Georg Mildenberger (CSI, Heidelberg University), Judith Terstriep (IAT, Westphalian University Gelsenkirchen), and Dr. Gudrun-Christine Schimpf (CSI, Heidelberg University)