The 6th Global Meeting of Associations on the Concept of Social Innovation

In preparation for the IAU Global Meeting of Associations 6, this issue - IAU Horizons, 21, 1 - offers reports on IAU priority areas, new projects and initiatives, especially LGEU, and upcoming events and conferences.
BY FOCUSING THIS ISSUE OF IAU HORIZONS, AS WELL AS THE 6th GLOBAL MEETING OF ASSOCIATIONS ON THE CONCEPT OF SOCIAL INNOVATION, we hope to stimulate a discussion among university associations and their member institutions about this increasingly popular, but still ambiguous concept. Almost every article in this issue begins by presenting a few definitions of social innovation before stating that there is no real consensus on what it means exactly, how to examine its impact critically, what key characteristics must be present to qualify a change in practice or a new product or service as a social innovation. Furthermore, with the growing popularity of the idea of Social Innovation, scepticism also surfaces, with some arguing that social innovation is not positive, on the contrary, some aspects can be downright negative, especially if social innovation comes to be seen as a way to avoid addressing power imbalances and a substitute for real political change.
From issues of definition, to case studies and examples, to warnings not to be lulled into thinking that social innovation is the panacea for all societal ills, the authors in this issue start the debate that we hope to have in Montreal, during the GMA, where an additional dimension is, of course, the exploration of what the universities’ role might be in this area. A key aspect of social innovation is to empower people to improve their own and others’ lives in an enduring and sustainable manner. Higher education contributes to such a process is both direct and indirect ways, not least of which is by studying, critically assessing and disseminating findings about these processes so that they can be either replicated, scaled up or, on the contrary, abandoned.
Since innovation – in all domains – is a perpetual process in which education and research are central, and as the concept of social innovation grows in importance and popularity, universities and their associations will be expected to engage actively in defining and contributing to these processes.
In the following pages you can also read about the newest IAU programme entitled Leading Globally Engaged Universities, the on-going expansion of the IAU Internationalization Strategies Advisory Services (ISAS) projects, a report on the recent Seminar on Doctoral education in Sub-Saharan Africa and many other activities.
As the 2015 International Conference nears, we are also pleased to present more information about the conference programme planned for Siena, Italy and to remind you about the IAU-Palgrave MacMillan Research Essay Competition which is in line with the October 2015 Conference theme: Internationalization of higher education: moving beyond mobility.
Rounding out the issue, you will once again find a list of new IAU Members, some selected new publications and other regular sections.
We hope you enjoy reading IAU Horizons and invite you to suggest themes and offer contributions for future editions! Eva Egron-Polak. Download IAU Horizons, 21, 1.