IAU VIth GLOBAL MEETING OF ASSOCIATIONS (GMA 6 – 2015) Social innovation: challenges and perspectives for higher Education

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.
IAU VIth GLOBAL MEETING OF ASSOCIATIONS (GMA 6 – 2015) Social innovation: challenges and perspectives for higher Education HEC Montréal, Canada, 6-8 May 
The IAU Global Meetings of Associations (GMAs) are held every two years and organised exclusively for leaders of national, regional and international higher education associations/ organizations and networks. They offer a unique opportunity for them to meet as peers and colleagues to discuss important developments, exchange ideas, practices and to network.
For this edition, IAU is pleased to partner with the Inter-American Organization for Higher Education (IOHE) and the Université de Montréal, longstanding Members of the IAU. The theme chosen for this edition is of growing importance to society and thus to higher education: Social innovation: challenges and perspectives for Higher Education.
The global and local challenges faced by societies and by our shared planet, require innovation in all domains. Usually associated with technology, it is often forgotten that social innovation is also continuously taking place and that it can have an even more lasting impact. Definitions of this concept vary but, generally speaking social innovation is described as a “dynamic that, in response to current clearly defined social needs, offers more appropriate and more sustainable solutions Social innovations taken up by an institution, an organization or a community offer measurable benefits for the collective, rather than simply for certain individuals. The impact of social innovation is transformative and systemic. By its inherent creativity, social innovation represents a break from what is.”
As the need for innovation increases and the expectation that higher education must contribute to it, the theme is of growing interest to all stakeholders in society including universities. Higher education associations are well placed as actors of social innovation and to stimulate discussions about social innovation. The GMA is thus an opportunity for exploring ideas, strategies and success stories about higher education’s involvement in social innovation.
To start debating and to fuel the discussions, please read the papers taken up in the In Focus section of this issue pp. 23-39.. Download IAU Horizons, 21, 1.