SOCIAL INNOVATION PROJECT (SIP)

What is a social innovation?

Social innovation refers to the design and implementation of new solutions that imply
conceptual, process, product, or organizational change, which ultimately aim to improve the
welfare and wellbeing of individuals and communities.

The function of an “Innovation Project” is to deliver a successful innovation: Solving a

business problem. There are many types of projects: inspirational projects based on a trend or
and technology, finding a business problem, finding a solution for a problem, building a vision,
etc.
How do you write an innovation project proposal?
The foundational consideration for any innovation proposal goes to its core purpose.

What are the goals of the project and why would we want to adopt it?
What problem are we trying to solve?
What change are we trying to effect?
What advancement are we trying to achieve through the project?

5 Examples of Social Innovation That Are Changing the World

 Clean Water Projects in Developing Nations.
 Mobile Banking and Financial Services in India.
 Crowdfunding Platforms to Support Social Causes.
 Sustainable Energy Solutions in Africa & Asia Pacific Region.
 Digital Education Programs Across the Globe.
Addressing six key considerations in innovation proposals can help to achieve congruence of
the perspectives and expectations of those who develop proposals and the decision makers
who review them.
1. Purpose
The foundational consideration for any innovation proposal goes to its core purpose. What are
the goals of the project and why would we want to adopt it? What problem are we trying to
solve, what change are we trying to effect, what advancement are we trying to achieve through
the project? What are the strategic, operational, and/or moral imperatives for engaging in the
project, and for doing so now rather than waiting?
As always, the decision maker will ask how the proposal serves the institution’s mission, vision,
values and strategic plan.
2. Impact
Both informing and following naturally from purpose is the impact of the proposed project.
Senior decision makers will want to know the direct/tangible and indirect/intangible benefits of
the project across numerous key areas.
The impact on student access, success, retention, timely degree completion and gainful
employment are always of concern as they go to the core mission of the institution. What also
are the impacts on institutional effectiveness, efficiency, cost savings, revenue generation,
accreditation, reputation and brand? How will the outcomes affect individuals and relationships
—faculty, staff, and administrators of the internal community, as well as alumni, and the broader
external community and partnerships? Beyond the intended goals, what are the possible
unintended negative consequences on the proposal’s target and other elements of the
institution?
3. Costs
Contrary to popular belief, cost is not the primary driver for decision makers. Cost
considerations are significant, but the context of purpose and impact can mitigate cost barriers.
Direct and tangible costs are relatively straightforward to predict and estimate.
Harder to do, and often ignored, are the direct and intangible dollar and time costs of human
power in time and effort, as well as technology and facilities usage. Harder still to estimate are
the costs of positive and negative impacts on perceptions, morale, reputation, awareness and
brand.
Senior decision makers will also want to know if the goals of the project can be accomplished in
another way with less or shared resources, or in less time with less effort or human power. For
example, can the project be added to, or an extension of, another project, operation, or set of
responsibilities? The parallel consequences of funding the proposal can be addressed by
answering strategic questions such as: What else can’t we do if this proposal is funded? From
what other activities will dollars, people, time and effort be diverted to support this proposal?

4. Execution
Decision makers are acutely aware that the best reasoned and planned innovation project can
fall short due to an ineffective execution, and indeed have been burned by such occurrences in
the past. To ensure success and protect the best use of institutional resources, decision makers
will want to know who will be involved and impacted by the project, in its planning, execution,
assessment, sustainability and outcomes. A detailed timeline for the planning, launch, and
assessment and evaluation phases is important, and should also indicate when we might first
begin to see the impact of the project.
An often-overlooked point is whether the project’s activities are sustainable under the proposed
and likely future conditions and levels of funding. Also of interest will be whether the
implementation of the project provides the opportunity to explore creative, instructive, relevant,
adaptable, interoperable, or new models for other situations and problems.
5. Assessment
The assessment, evaluation and accountability plan is a critical consideration as it will allow us
to know whether the project has achieved its goals, been successful in additional ways, and
been a worthy investment of institutional resources. On the front end, decision makers want to
know what data and research indicate that the project is needed, has validity, is feasible, has a
reasonable chance of success, and which other institutions or groups have previously attempted
the project and their experience in doing so.
Thinking with the end in mind, the proposal should describe the eventual measures and
indicators of success and accountable units for each, taking into consideration quantitative and
qualitative aspects, direct and indirect indicators, leading and lagging indicators, external
benchmarks and internal targets, and return on investment and return on value estimates. The
assessment plan would do well to address the maximization of institutional resources by
answering strategic questions such as: Are there interim milestones of success, and can they
stand alone and be sustained in the absence of completion of the full project? How and when
will we know if the project is unsuccessful? Are their opportunities for mid-course corrections
and adjustments? How should we proceed if the project is not successful?
6. Risks
Decision makers are also interested in the risks associated with the innovation project, well
beyond the simple risk of resources wasted on an unsuccessful initiative. Risks come in many
forms, including those that are foreseeable and preventable, unpredictable and uncontrollable,
internal and external. Such risks have the potential to impact strategic, operational, financial,
compliance, reputational, systemic and localized activities, organizational effectiveness, morale,
and governance aspects of the institution.
Taking these into consideration, an overall level of risk assessment can be estimated and
should be stated in the proposal—insignificant, low, moderate, high, or extreme. Thinking
ahead, decision makers will want to know how the institution will handle specific potential
problems and scenarios. Parallel considerations include the potential risks and costs for
students, other members of the university community, and the institution if the project isn’t
approved and pursued.