The project Bridge is co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the Servicio Espanol para la Internacionalizacion de la Educacion (SEPIE). Neither the European Union nor the National Agency SEPIE can be held responsible for them. -- Number: 2025-1-ES01-KA220-HED-000359236 --

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LEVEL 1. SISEE: Social Innovation Education Network

BRIDGE Main Challenge: A.2. Gap between regulatory frameworks, institutional discourses and actual inclusion practices

What problem does it address?

German universities produce only 15 per cent of the country's social innovations (CHE). Education in social innovation and social entrepreneurship depends on temporary projects, precarious staff and isolated champions; stable structures are missing. Rigid Bologna-style curricula, monodisciplinary economics-led teaching and exclusionary business jargon keep students from other disciplines out.

What does it propose?

SISEE built a national Community of Practice: three lead partners (HNEE, SEND, University of Bayreuth) coordinated 12 pilot sub-projects at German universities. A diagnostic phase with 35 lecturer interviews was followed by learning tandems, workshops and work with transfer offices, resulting in an open-access practical guide, an OER platform (SIGU) and a podcast series to anchor social innovation education permanently.

Why is it an inspiring practice?
  • It tackles the 'projectisation' of inclusion by aiming at permanent curricular embedding (Verstetigung).
  • A meta-project design: a network that systematises what 12 isolated pilots learn.
  • It names disciplinary and linguistic exclusion and counters it with plain-language OER and inclusive terminology.
  • The 'coalition from the centre' strategy treats lecturers and middle management as the agents of change.
  • Continuity secured through a named successor network (FutureSEE) and open licensing.
Resources you'll find
  • Practical guide for universities on designing and embedding SIE/SEE (German, PDF).
  • SIGU platform: OER, digital modules, templates and manuals from the 12 pilots.
  • Three-episode podcast 'Good Practices in SIE/SEE' with experts and lecturers.
  • FutureSEE successor network with website and LinkedIn group.
Featured results
12
pilot sub-projects at German universities
35
interviews with lecturers and experts
8
interactive workshop, seminar and networking formats
6
learning tandems between sub-projects
3
open-access outputs (guide, SIGU toolkit, podcast)
What can visitors learn?
How to move social innovation teaching from one-off projects to permanent curricular structures.
How to run a Community of Practice across institutions using learning tandems and reflection sessions.
How to make entrepreneurship education accessible to students from the humanities and social sciences.
How to involve transfer offices, social entrepreneurs, NGOs and local authorities in teaching.
How to replace 'start-ups founded' with civic competence as a measure of success.

LEVEL 2. EXPLORE BEST PRACTICE

Introduction

SISEE (Hochschulnetzwerk für Social Innovation / Social Entrepreneurship Education) was a national network (2022–2024) led by Eberswalde University of Applied Sciences, the Social Entrepreneurship Network Germany and the University of Bayreuth. It supported 12 pilot sub-projects at German universities using research-based learning, Systems Thinking and Design Thinking. Its outputs (a practical guide, the SIGU OER platform and a podcast series) help universities embed social innovation education permanently and inclusively.

  • Coordinating organisation: Eberswalde Univ. of Applied Sciences (HNEE), DE
  • Participating countries: Germany (DE)
  • Duration: October 2022 - August 2024
  • BRIDGE Main Challenge: A.2. Gap between regulatory frameworks, institutional discourses and actual inclusion practices
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
  • SDG 4: Quality Education
  • SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities
  • SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
  • SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

The Challenge

What social issue does it address?

In Germany, education in social innovation and social entrepreneurship is 'projectised': it relies on temporary funding, precarious staff and individual champions, with no stable place in university structures. Curricula standardised under the Bologna Process leave little room for complex social impact projects, and entrepreneurship is taught mainly in economics faculties with a profit-driven logic and jargon that excludes other disciplines.

Why is it important?

Universities produce only 15 per cent of German social innovations (CHE). While institutional discourse praises sustainability and diversity, administrative rigidity blocks implementation. Without permanent structures, students from the humanities, social sciences and under-represented backgrounds remain excluded from these formats.

How does it contribute to the BRIDGE Challenge?

SISEE addresses Challenge A2 by narrowing the gap between institutional discourse and actual practice. It works towards the permanent embedding (Verstetigung) of social innovation education in curricula, ECTS recognition, inclusive language and success metrics based on civic competences in place of the number of start-ups founded.

How does it work?

Three lead partners coordinated 12 university sub-projects as a Community of Practice in three phases: diagnosis (literature review, 35 lecturer interviews), network activation (workshops, six learning tandems, reflection sessions, working groups with transfer advisers, external social entrepreneurs and NGOs) and transfer (guide, SIGU OER platform, podcast, recommendations for university management and policy-makers).

What might inspire you?
Ideas for adaptation
  1. Embed social innovation modules permanently in curricula with ECTS recognition.
  2. Build a Community of Practice that links pilot projects through learning tandems.
  3. Start with a diagnostic phase: interview lecturers about barriers and needs.
  4. Use research-based learning, Systems Thinking and Design Thinking in class.
  5. Avoid business jargon so students from all disciplines feel addressed.
  6. Offer plain-language versions of teaching materials.
  7. Adopt Codes of Conduct to create safe spaces for diverse perspectives.
  8. Involve transfer offices, social entrepreneurs, NGOs and local authorities as partners.
  9. Use the civic competences students gain as the measure of success in place of start-ups founded.
  10. Plan a successor network before project funding ends.
Resources created

Practical guide: 'Wirkungsvoll Social Innovation Education & Social Entrepreneurship Education gestalten und etablieren – ein Leitfaden für die Hochschulpraxis'

Manual

An open-access guide for teaching staff, university management and administrators on designing and permanently establishing social innovation and social entrepreneurship education. It was validated through 35 interviews with lecturers and systematises the experience of the 12 coordinated pilot sub-projects. The guide sets out guidelines that promote interdisciplinarity, recommends inclusive language that avoids business jargon alienating to students from the humanities, describes the 'coalition from the centre' strategy for institutional anchoring and proposes success metrics based on civic competences in place of counts of start-ups founded. It includes recommendations for policy-makers and university management and can be adapted to different types of higher education institution. Available in German only.

Teaching staff, Professionals, Policy Makers

https://sigu-plattform.de/wp-content/uploads/SISEE-Broschuere.pdf

SIGU platform: SISEE resource collection (Open Educational Resources, digital modules, templates and manuals)

Educational resource

The SIGU platform is the main open-access repository of SISEE results. It centralises the teaching materials and tools generated by the 12 pilot university sub-projects: Open Educational Resources, digital modules, templates, technical manuals, methodological and impact assessment tools and funding databases. The materials are modular, designed for students across all disciplines and adaptable to different contexts. They include guidelines for inclusive events, promote Codes of Conduct to ensure safe spaces and a diversity of perspectives, and offer versions in plain language to reduce cognitive and linguistic barriers. Digital storytelling and Virtual Reality are among the methods used. The platform is free to use and is intended as shared digital infrastructure for universities in Germany and abroad. Content is mainly in German.

Teaching staff, Students, Professionals

https://sigu-plattform.de/wissenschaft/lehre/sisee/

Podcast series 'Good Practices in SIE/SEE' (three episodes)

Educational resource

A three-episode podcast series in which experts, pioneers and lecturers from the SISEE network share lessons learnt and success factors in implementing social innovation and social entrepreneurship education at universities. It serves as an awareness-raising tool and as accompanying material to the practical guide, reflecting real-life examples from the sub-projects and addressing knowledge transfer as a tool for social justice and cohesion. The series uses digital storytelling and is freely available on Spotify. It is suitable as a listening assignment for lecturers preparing new formats, for staff in transfer offices and for students interested in social entrepreneurship.

Teaching staff, Students, Professionals, General Public

https://open.spotify.com/show/51BWJWpeMHMuPwZiLcg7ar

FutureSEE: successor network of lecturers for Social Entrepreneurship Education

Digital publication

FutureSEE is the national network of teachers created to continue the SISEE Community of Practice after the project ended in August 2024. It aims to strengthen the pedagogical skills of lecturers in social innovation and social entrepreneurship education and to keep the exchange between universities, transfer offices and external practitioners active. Information is available on the HNEE project website, and the community is organised via a LinkedIn group (www.linkedin.com/groups/12863626). For teaching staff from other countries it offers a contact point to learn how the German network works, to follow its activities and to exchange experiences on embedding social innovation permanently in curricula.

Teaching staff, Researchers, Professionals

https://www.hnee.de/en/forschung/forschungsprojekte/future-social-entrepreneurship-education

SISEE project websites (HNEE and University of Bayreuth)

Digital publication

The official project pages of the lead institutions provide background information on SISEE: aims, partners, the 12 pilot sub-projects, the three project phases and links to the outputs. The HNEE page (https://www.hnee.de/forschung/forschungsprojekte/hochschulnetzwerk-fuer-social-entrepreneurship-education) is in German; the University of Bayreuth page is in English and is an entry point for international visitors who want an overview before consulting the German-language guide and platform. The pages name the lead consortium (HNEE, SEND and the University of Bayreuth), list the participating institutions such as the University of Hamburg, KIT, the University of Bremen and the University of Wuppertal, and give the institutional contact at HNEE.

Teaching staff, Researchers, General Public

https://www.sent.uni-bayreuth.de/en/Projects/Finished-projects/SISEE/index.html