Who we are
The Centre for Social Innovation (ZSI) is a scientific institute. It was registered as an association in 1988 and has been operational since 1990. On 1 July 2014, it was converted into a non-profit limited company. It focuses on promoting social development and is recognised as a non-profit organisation by the Austrian tax authorities. The ZSI Association has been retained and is the owner of the non-profit ZSI GmbH.
- We are customer- and output- as well as outcome-oriented
- We are methodologically robust andaim to work ahead of others in souting innovative trends
- We are flexible but always evidence-based
- We work analytically and value-driven
- We are politically, legally and financially independent and self-governed.
ZSI is member of acr – Austrian Cooperative Research.
What we do
Under the motto “All innovations are socially relevant”, ZSI examines the social embedding and impact of all types of innovation and contributes to the design and diffusion of socially acceptable and sustainable innovations to overcome global challenges. By deployment of innovative research, education, advisory services and co-ordination of networks, we create new knowledge, reflect and configure existing knowledge, evaluate measures, develop concepts and forward their implementation. As independent and globally acting scientific institution, we are engaged in the development of theories, methodologies, instruments and measures as well as in the dissemination of a systemically conceptualised broad innovation approach, contributing also to the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. We apply a set of methodological competences and skills in a broad range of thematic areas with expertise in many world regions.
ZSI is Austria’s most successful social scientific organisation in the European Framework Programmes since FP5. The institute operates on the basis of hundreds of successful research, consulting, network coordination and education projects and a solid methodological foundation in applied empirical social science research.
Among our clients and funders are several DGs from the European Comission, the European Parliament, the Coundil of the European Union, several ministries in Austria, several Austrian provinces and communities, the German Ministry of Edcuation and Research, OECD, World Bank, UNESCO, ILO, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and research organisations from various fields and countries and many others.
