The 2016 Social Innovation Competition focuses on social innovation for refugees and migrants. The call for entries closed on 8 April 2016 and 1,095 ideas were received. The semi-finalists of the competition have now been selected. They have entered a mentoring scheme and are competing for the three prizes of €50,000, which will be awarded in late October 2016.
The European Commission called for innovations in products, technologies, services and models that can support the integration of refugees and migrants. Innovations can relate to any aspect of the reception and integration process including, but not limited to, ideas around:
- education and skills development
- employment and entrepreneurship
- access to appropriate housing and health services
- safety and human rights
- community cohesion and cultural diversity.
Applications that are led by or have been co-created with refugees and migrants were encouraged.