The European Social Innovation Competition (EUSIC), which supports sustainable and inclusive solutions to societal challenges in Europe, recently revealed its winners for the 2022 challenge “The Future of Housing”. The chosen finalists were awarded on February 2, 2023, by the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA).
The competition granted three Challenge Prizes and one Impact Prize to the best socially innovative projects aiming for a more inclusive, just and sustainable Europe. The winning stories provide great inspiration for cities seeking to pursue innovative solutions in their local ecosystems.
The Challenge Prize
For EUSIC’s 10th edition, the Challenge Prize recognised breakthrough, high-tech innovations that embraced ‘the future of living, innovation for affordable, and sustainable housing districts. The three winners, awarded EUR 50 000 each, were:
- ReLearn (Italy), a start-up that uses Artificial Intelligence to help companies and municipalities reduce their environmental impact, by monitoring the quantity and quality of waste generated.
- Sostre Cívic (Spain), a housing cooperative that implements an alternative model that is fairer and more accessible, non-profit, non-speculative and transformative.
- Efficient Energy Technology winning with the project SolMate Pro (Austria), which provides energy storage in urban areas through an easy-to-use plug-in system.
The Impact Prize
The Impact Prize, the second category awarded for EUSIC 2022, recognised the efforts made by the semi-finalists of the Challenge Prize 2021 edition, to help them evolve their original applications and develop the best impact methodology and results.
The winner for this award category was Sofia2Go (Bulgaria), a digital platform that connects foodies with good food leftovers. The marketplace was awarded for its social mission, impact-driven activities and long-term change. The city of Sofia was one of the participating ICC cities and this Prize acknowledges the range of advanced smart city solutions the city has worked on during the ICC process.
Building communities
Winning stories of the European Social Innovation Competition are valuable examples of how societal innovation can be driven from diverse fields to respond to common societal challenges. More information on the winners for the 2022 edition can be found on the European Innovation Council’s website.
To learn from others’ innovative solutions, cities and communities can also explore Tech4Good Marketplace - developed by the Intelligent Cities Challenge’s for cities by cities and local businesses. In addition to compiling best examples, the portal allows cities to showcase their own implementations to inspire others when developing their innovative approaches.