The 2009 conference is hosted by The Science Shop, Queen's University Belfast

Building social innovation through sustainable community and academic engagement

The global economic situation is changing the game rules for academic and community partnerships. We are seeing fundamental shifts in the “Third Sector” resulting from significant stress fractures not seen since the 1930’s. These will be with us for some time as we emerge from a slow recovery cycle into a world of much higher inflation and continued economic uncertainty; hence “the new normal”, where societal issues need pragmatic policy solutions developed through rigorous research aimed at both upstream and downstream processes.

The implications for communities and the academy are substantial, as rising demands for increased social infrastructure become exacerbated by the expanding tear in the social safety net. Governments, which have traditionally solely downloaded social service delivery, will now also download social service strategy, policy, and economic funding, forcing exceptional community/academic collaboration. The academy will also be hard pressed by various granting organizations for research which is, in their opinion, more “evidenced based” and which is continually evaluated to ensure a substantive “return on investment” (which may actually work against the collective good of the community and academy). 

The key elements for success will be social innovation, pragmatic intellectual capital, interdisciplinary entrepreneurship and private-public-third sector partnerships. This blend of non-traditional collaborations will target the building of vibrant and sustainable social and intellectual infrastructures. We believe that funding will need to be streamlined and simplified. Communities will need to develop and nurture action oriented partnerships within a context of “access to capital” challenges. Social enterprise or social purpose ventures will become major opportunities for ensuring partnerships deliver added value beyond the sum of their parts.

This presentation covers the research work done by the WI regarding new models for third sector collaboration, and how we need to develop and implement social innovation.

Theme: Critical reflections on community engagement in the natural sciences, technology and innovation

Presenters Name: Richard Blickstead, CEO (WI) Adj. Prof. U of Toronto and Dr. Brenda Roche, Director-Research

Presenters Institution: Wellesley Institute

Presenters Biography:

Mr. Blickstead is both a private and public sector senior executive with US and Canadian general management experience specializing in strategic revitalization including ensuring social entrepreneurship governance, creating a vibrant and sustainable social and intellectual infrastructure, social innovation and developing pragmatic policy solutions.  He has a diverse background in repositioning private, public and third sector organizations through customer-centric solutions.

Rick has latterly held the position of President at several major US and Canadian companies or divisions including Peoples Jewelers, Wal-Mart Inc., Dylex, and RONA. Mr. Blickstead has a strong interest in entrepreneurial driven social innovation, social finance, and the role of community focused priority setting and collaboration.  

Rick is the CEO of the Wellesley Institute, a leading national research, public policy, community action, and social innovation organization advancing urban health through health equity. He is also an Adjunct Professor at the University of Toronto, and serves on numerous Boards and Councils including the Canadian Centre for Diversity, the Toronto Board of Trade, Imperial Manufacturing Group, and Harvard Club of Toronto, amongst others. He is also the current Chair of the World Presidents Organization (Ontario), and Past-Chair of the Young Presidents Organization (Ontario)

Rick holds a B.Comm (Honors) from the Sprott School of Management at Carleton University, an MBA from the Rotman Business School at the University of Toronto and has completed the Not-for-Profit Management executive program at the Harvard Business School and Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.

Brenda Roche , PhD, is Director of Research at the Wellesley Institute, an independent non-profit research and policy institute working to advance health equity through community-based research, community engagement, social innovation and policy development. Trained in medical anthropology and public health, her research experience includes community-based research on social and health issues in urban settings, such as homelessness, sexual health, violence and psychological trauma.  

Dr Roche’s doctorate, through the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, examined discourses on trauma that operate within the context of refugee resettlement, and how these influence health and social care practices for women (and their families) seeking political asylum in the United Kingdom. Her current work with the Wellesley Institute focuses upon practical and theoretical issues in community-based research