Zentrum für Soziale Innovation Gmbh
The Centre for Social Innovation (ZSI) is a non-profit institute for applied social sciences and a Centre of Excellence for social innovation in Vienna, Austria. ZSI advances socially sustainable innovations through research, education, and advisory services. Its portfolio includes "maker" projects, promoting participatory innovation, collaborative production, and open science.
The Centre for Social Innovation (ZSI) is a private, non-profit institute for applied social sciences and a recognised Centre of Excellence for social innovation, based in Vienna, Austria. ZSI conducts research and application projects on the social embedding and impact of all types of innovation, contributing to the design and diffusion of socially accepted and sustainable solutions to address global challenges.
By combining innovative research, education, advisory services and network coordination, ZSI generates new knowledge, rethinks existing insights, evaluates measures, develops concepts and supports their practical implementation.
ZSI’s portfolio includes numerous "maker" projects that promote hands-on, participatory innovation processes and explore the potential of collaborative production and prototyping for societal benefit. Participatory and transdisciplinary research methods, alongside open science practices, are central to the methodological approach of this interdisciplinary team.
Our role in the project
The Centre for Social Innovation (ZSI) plays a crucial role in the LAUDS project by contributing its extensive expertise in social innovation, participatory research, and interdisciplinary collaboration. ZSI leads efforts in developing co-creation frameworks and participatory methodologies that ensure the LAUDS factories align with the needs of diverse stakeholder groups and that the wider ecosystems of LAUDS factories are reflected. By applying transdisciplinary research methods, ZSI ensures that societal impacts and sustainability are embedded in the project’s outcomes. The institute also supports capacity-building activities, fostering collaboration between makers, SMEs, creatives, and local communities. ZSI’s involvement ensures that social innovation remains central to the LAUDS approach, enabling the creation of inclusive, decentralised manufacturing ecosystems that contribute to urban transformation and the New European Bauhaus vision.
Our expertise
The Centre for Social Innovation (ZSI) brings extensive expertise to the LAUDS project through its longstanding experience in applied social sciences, participatory research, and social innovation processes. Specialising in the social embedding and impact assessment of innovations, ZSI ensures that the LAUDS factories adopt human-centric, inclusive, and sustainable approaches. Its proficiency in co-creation methodologies, developed through projects like mAkEe, make-a-tec and OPENNEXT, enables effective collaboration between diverse stakeholders, including SMEs, makers, creatives, and local communities. ZSI also contributes transdisciplinary research methods, fostering participatory innovation and open science practices that are central to the LAUDS framework. By integrating social innovation principles with technological advancements, ZSI supports the development of decentralised, circular manufacturing models aligned with the New European Bauhaus vision. Its role is pivotal in promoting socially accepted, sustainable manufacturing ecosystems that respond to urban challenges and enhance local value creation.
