Enhancing social enterprises competitiveness through improved business support policies
Social Enterprises (SE) are drivers of social change that operate on the basis of viable business models, providing goods/services for the market in an entrepreneurial and innovative fashion and using profits primarily to achieve social objectives (European Commission’s Social Business Initiative (SBI) communication). The potential of SE to promote more and better jobs and generate inclusive growth, while addressing major societal challenges is widely recognised, especially after the adoption of the EC’s SBI in 2011. 

In view of the above, many European regions have in the past years rolled out initiatives to foster social entrepreneurship. The current issue at stake is, however, on how to effectively promote the competitiveness of SE already competing in the market, taking into account that their support needs differ from mainstream SMEs. In effect, SE business support policies are still rare and, when available, fragmented among public authorities. 

This challenge has motivated RaiSE partners to engage in cooperation and interregional exchange to enhance regional SE support policies to foster competitiveness, facilitating access to markets as well as finance and innovation. 6 regions, with an existing SE base but varied policy contexts, unite efforts to tackle the common challenge. 

Numerous activities have been structured in Phase 1 to promote active interregional exchange and effective regional stakeholder engagement for joint development of regional Action Plans (AP), as well as EU-wide dissemination. The plans should conduce improvements in the policy instruments selected, delivering new and enhanced services, further specialisation of training and support infrastructure, new funding for cooperation and ventures, etc. They should also conduce to better governance, engaging multiple stakeholders in policy development and implementation. The roll out of the APs will be monitored through Phase 2 over two years. All in all, the project duration is 54 months.