ZSI is a private non-profit institute for applied social sciences and a Centre of Excellence for social innovation based in Vienna (Austria). The institute is part of acr - Austrian Cooperative Research.

ZSI implements research and application projects on the social embedding and impact of all types of innovations and contributes to the design and diffusion of socially accepted and sustainable innovations to meet global challenges.

Learn more about:

• Legal basis: non-profit limited liability company
• Structure of ZSI
• Mission statement
• Definition of social innovation by ZSI
• Strategic principles and ethical code
• Gender Equality Plan
• (More) Facts at a glance

Legal basis: non-profit limited liability company

The Centre for Social Innovation (ZSI) is a scientific institute, founded as a not for profit association under Austrian law in 1988 and duly operationalised since 1990. On 1 July 2014, the Centre for Social Innovation changed its legal basis to a not for profit ZSI GmbH (Limited Liability Company, LLC).The ZSI Association has been retained and acts as the sole owner of the ZSI LLC since this day.
ZSI follows the model of a self-governing institution: The Executive Board of the ZSI LLC is elected by the General Assembly of the ZSI Association for a three years term.

Structure of ZSI

ZSI is organised along three departments

• Work & Equal Opportunities
• Research Policies & Development
• Technology & Knowledge

The Executive Board of ZSI consists of

• Scientific Director: Dr. Klaus Schuch
• Business Director: Mag. Wolfgang Michalek
• Head of the Department "Work and Equal Opportunities": Drⁱⁿ. Barbara Glinsner, MSc
• Head of the Department "Research Policies and Development": M.A. Gorazd Weiss
• Head of the Department "Technology and Knowledge": Dr. Elisabeth Unterfrauner

Diversification of services and a broad spectrum of expertise guarantee the independence of the institute, its level of employment and the achievement of its purpose.

Mission statement: "All Innovations are socially relevant"

• ZSI conducts research and application projects on the social embedding and impact of all types of innovations and contributes to the design and diffusion of socially accepted and sustainable innovations to meet 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.

Definition of social innovation by ZSI

Social innovations are novel or more effective practices that prove capable to tackle societal issues and are adopted and successfully utilised by individuals, groups and organisations concerned.

Strategic principles and ethical code

ZSI works in science and praxis, linking research systematically with application. Many ZSI-projects transcend scientific domains, and thus are interdisciplinary. Some also include collaboration with professionals and laymen from non-scientific realms. With this nexus between scientific and practical knowledge, the criterion of transdisciplinarity is fulfilled.

ZSI considers The European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity, the European Charta for Researchers and the Code of Ethics of the International Sociological Association (ISA), as well as the RESPECT Code of Practice for Socio-Economic Research.

Gender Equality Plan

As of January 2022, a Gender Equality Plan is a mandatory admission criterion for the submission of public institutions, research organisations and higher education institutions to the European Research Framework Programme Horizon Europe. ZSI has dealt in detail with the current gender equality situation at the Institute, analysed existing data according to the categories required by the Commission and derived goals and measures for the next two years.

You can find the document for download here.

Facts at a glance

operational since 1990 / currently on average 50+ projects in progress / more than 450 projects concluded / 60+ team members employed / more than 1000 cooperation partners (organisations that we worked with in our projects) / several 100 publications (project reports, articles and book contributions) / 100s of past events organised (workshops, conferences, seminars, etc.) / more than 2000 fans on Facebook and twitter / 100 different social media canals by current projects and individual ZSI experts / 1000s of visitors at our project related websites and more than several 10.000 subscribers of our project related eNewsletters

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