Create positive societal change
Collaborating with faculties and community to create societal good through research and evaluation.
Social Innovation is a journey.
Social innovation is a journey that navigates the complex intersections of society's needs and creative solutions. It begins with empathy and is an iterative process that transforms ideas into sustainable practices.
We define social innovation as the intentional implementation of a transdisiplinary initiative to address a social problem enabled through collaborative action leading to new or improved capabilities and relationships with community to generate evidence-informed solutions that are more effective, efficient, just, and sustainable.
Explore how we defined social innovation for post-secondary educational institutions.
Notable Events
ISIRC 2026
The International Social Innovation Research Conference (ISIRC) brings together practitioners, policy makers, and scholars interested in social innovation and entrepreneurship.
For the first time, ISIRC will be held in Asia, hosted by Duy Tan University in the costal city of Da Nang.
Translate Research to Action (TR2A) - Call for Fall Cohort
The Translate Research to Action service offers supportive coaching for researchers, graduate students, and staff to begin their social innovation journey.
Explore your own 'walking path' while accessing a supportive ecosystem to sandbox concepts without a financial cost or time-bound schedule.
Social Innovation Stories
One Child Every Child study explores how donor human milk may protect babies’ developing microbiome
UCalgary-led research could help rewrite the first days of life
In the News Maclean's
Forget America. Build an East-West Power Grid.
UCalgary claims top five spot in national research rankings
$588.5M in research revenue puts institution back in number five position
Sharing the stories of UCalgary researchers who have moved their discoveries forward and their innovation journeys to implementation and creating impact.
This series aims to inspire researchers and community partners to take new steps toward transforming discoveries into solutions, products, and services.
Hear from our Social Innovators
Supporting the mental health of first responder families
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Celebrating UCeed and Social Impact with LyfeMd
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Multisensory Storytelling with Dr. Kathleen Sitter
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Moving and Thriving with Dr. Nicole Culos-Reed
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Have questions about social innovation?
The Social Innovation Initiative is supported by the Government of Canada Incremental Project Grants. Learn how UCalgary uses the Incremental Project Grants.