Scaling Social Innovation

Social enterprises have seen remarkable growth in recent years, tackling some of the world’s most pressing challenges with innovative solutions. But turning promising ideas into scalable, lasting impact remains a significant hurdle. The Leuphana Social Innovation Community is here to bridge that gap. We explore, develop, and test practical strategies to help social innovations grow, amplifying their reach, and strengthening their contribution to a more sustainable future.

SCALING WORKSHOPS

©Jasper Ehrich
The Scaling Workshop by Robert Hoyer in Hamburg in the beginning of 2025 was a crowded event.

Our interactive workshops are for anyone interested in scaling social innovation and impact. You will learn how scientific findings can be translated into practical strategies and also develop individual scaling approaches for your ideas. What are the success factors? What challenges await you on the path to scaling? With a mix of theoretical input and practical exercises, the workshop offers a platform for the exchange of best practices and personal experiences. 

If you have an idea yourself that is just waiting to be scaled, please get in touch with us or check the dates for the next workshop and register directly.

Upcoming Workshops

EXPLANATORY VIDEOS

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This video shows, what we as Leuphana Social Innovation Community describe as social Innovation and why it is important to scale it. Discover how social innovation can be scaled impactfully and join our Community!
Do you want to load external content supplied by Youtube?
With your consent, further personal data will be transmitted to, among others, Google in the USA in order to show you Youtube videos. However, the European Court of Justice has deemed the level of data protection in the USA, measured against EU standards, to be insufficient. There is also the possibility that your data may then be processed by US authorities. If you click on “Yes“, the data will only be passed on for the display of this video. If you click on “Always“, the data is generally passed on when Youtube videos are displayed on our site. For more information, please refer to our Privacy policy.
See how you can maintain a balance between market and social logic without losing sight of your mission! This video explains key trade-offs when scaling social innovations.
Do you want to load external content supplied by Youtube?
With your consent, further personal data will be transmitted to, among others, Google in the USA in order to show you Youtube videos. However, the European Court of Justice has deemed the level of data protection in the USA, measured against EU standards, to be insufficient. There is also the possibility that your data may then be processed by US authorities. If you click on “Yes“, the data will only be passed on for the display of this video. If you click on “Always“, the data is generally passed on when Youtube videos are displayed on our site. For more information, please refer to our Privacy policy.
Sharing knowledge instead of doing everything by yourself: See what dissemination means and which chances and risks go along with it.

Community Casebook on Scaling Social Innovation

©jasper ehrich
Robert Hoyer, part of the Leuphana Social Innovation Community, provides a deeper understanding of the complexity of scaling social innovations.

In recent decades, there has been a remarkable rise in social entrepreneurial activities and the proliferation of social innovations. Social innovations are understood to be innovations in products, processes or forms of organisation that are developed in collaboration with social stakeholders to solve social challenges such as climate change or new forms of mobility and work. Nevertheless, despite the establishment of numerous social ventures, achieving significant growth in their social impact remains a major. With the project “TrICo – Transformation through Innovation and Cooperation in Communities”, Leuphana University is also advancing social innovations in and around Lüneburg in collaboration with many partners. In particular, the Social Innovation Community is committed to generating and disseminating social innovations. This generates extensive knowledge in academia and practice, which we aim to disseminate as a casebook. The goal is not only to gain a deeper understanding of the complexities involved in scaling social innovations but also to provide concrete, practical relevance. Therefore, we invite case studies (approx. 6,000 words) that analyze and present an organization or initiative and their respective approach to scaling a social innovation.

Find the full Call for Chapters here.

Write Your Thesis about Scaling!

There is currently a call for bachelor and master theses for our research topic ‘Scaling Social Innovation’. If you would like to write your thesis in this area, you can find more information on the topic here.

The Leuphana Social Innovation Community is committed to shaping a sustainable society and brings together stakeholders from science, business, civil society and politics. Shape the future with us and become part of the community!

CONTACT

Robert Hoyer