The Social Innovation Match (SIM) database is a new European tool aimed at supporting the visibility and transfer of social innovations across EU countries. It allows organisations to share their work, connect with partners, and contribute to building a stronger European social innovation ecosystem.
Social innovation takes many forms across Europe, and this diversity makes the EU a key incubator of new solutions. Your organisation’s work might not be labelled as “social innovation,” but it could inspire similar efforts in other EU countries — and vice versa.
To support knowledge sharing and transnational cooperation, the Social Innovation+ initiative (ESF+ SI+) and the European Competence Centre for Social Innovation launched the Social Innovation Match (SIM) database. This platform enables organisations to showcase their projects, discover examples from other countries, and build partnerships for future EU-funded calls.
As Asta Jurgute, Head of the Social Innovation Team, explains, the SIM database is ideal for sharing successful practices, mutual learning, and scaling innovation through collaboration. It already contains numerous inspiring examples of projects funded by the European Social Fund+ and other sources.
Stakeholders — including project beneficiaries, public bodies, and intermediaries — are encouraged to submit their projects. Each submission is reviewed and validated based on its relevance, quality, and potential impact. EU-level projects are assessed by the European Competence Centre, while local, regional, and national cases are reviewed by national validators.
Once validated, a project becomes part of the SIM database, offering visibility and serving as inspiration or collaboration potential for others across the EU.
“Be active, be bold, be citizen-oriented,” urges Jurgute — SIM is a powerful tool for recognition and networking.
To learn more, see the SIM Database Fact Sheet, or submit your case at
https://european-social-fund-plus.ec.europa.eu/en/social-innovation-match.
Questions? Email: SIM@esf.lt
Let your success story travel across Europe!
