Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Overview

The Hunter Centre for Entrepreneurship hosts the Socially Progressive Innovation and Entrepreneurship (SPIE) Research Cluster. SPIE's aim is to promote knowledge exchange and share new methodologies for socially progressive research and entrepreneurship, prompting trans-disciplinary research across real-world contexts.

Social innovation is concerned with ideas that address unmet social needs. Socially innovative ideas include restorative justice, hospices, kindergartens, distance learning and traffic calming, amongst others. These ideas are usually brought to fruition through an entrepreneurial process, which is concerned with turning innovations into viable and sustainable business models.

Never before has social innovation and entrepreneurship been so central to society: climate change, the threat of pandemics, increase in world population and poverty are only some of the mega-trends that require novel solutions and business models to implement them. This Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship course is offered by the University of Strathclyde.

Careers

• You may find employment with large corporates who have socially progressive projects or divisions. (One example is EY foundation, which works with young people from disadvantaged backgrounds to create skills leading to employment).
• Employment may be sought with support organisations, think-tanks and policy organisations working in the areas of social entrepreneurship of social innovation. (One example is Social Enterprise UK)
• You may also take this programme because if you intend to start a social enterprise, or already have started a social enterprise but feel you would benefit from focused training.
• This MSc will also be an asset to individuals already working or wishing to work for NGOs and public sectors organisations for social development.