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In mid-May, the Innovation Booster panel gave seven new innovation teams the green light to start the second innovation cycle on the annual theme “integrated services and benefits in social and health care”. They will each receive CHF 5,000, which they can use over the next four months to gradually enrich and analyse their problem and develop solutions and further expand the teams.

Methodological tools received at workshop

On 1 June 2023, the new innovation teams were invited to a workshop where they could exchange ideas and receive practical advice and methodological suggestions for the work in the next phase. The feedback shows that the workshop was generally well received and that the participants were able to take home many valuable impulses for the next steps.

Teams from all regions in phase two

In the image of the annual theme, the seven innovation teams which come from across Switzerland have identified challenges that cover a broad range of topics:

• Ambulante mobile Sozialberatung (D)
• Cancer survivor (D)
• Espace de co-réflexion (F)
• Impiego assistito (I)
• Solidarity map (F)
• Spazio ai giovani (I)
• Zusammen1Plan (D)

On our website, you can find more information about the individual teams and the innovative ideas they are pursuing (French, German or Italian) to contribute to making social and health services accessible to all. Users are involved in all the teams to ensure that the services are designed to meet their needs.

The second social innovation forum took place in Fribourg on 4 May 2023. It marked the start of the second cycle of the Innovation Booster “Co-Designing Human Services” with the annual theme “Integrated services and benefits in social and health care”.

In the run-up to the social innovation forum, the innovation booster project team received around 20 proposals from all over Switzerland, which were then examined in depth by the participants. To this end, they went through a structured process in groups, which allowed them to deal with the submitted questions from different perspectives. Several of the submitted topics are regional, but have a national relevance, which is why they are well suited to participate in the Innovation Booster.

First teams have been formed

Most of the participants arrived individually or in pairs and then found like-minded people on site. Some innovation teams even found together at the event, which is one of the goals of the organizers.

Feedback during the forum shows that the event was very useful. One participant said that he had gained additional expertise for his topic and was able to network, which helps to find synergies for cooperation. The forum’s methodology also aroused interest: “We came with an idea and have now gained new perspectives as we were able to talk to other professionals about the idea and discover common ground," explains another participant. Another person had come to discover the approach and during the event found someone who is already a step ahead in the topic they are interested in. The only downside that a participating user from the social sector pointed out was the lack of presence from employers and their point of view.

Next steps: apply for cheque and complete teams

The innovation teams now have until 15 May to formulate their topic and apply for a cheque for the current innovation cycle. If the decision is positive, another input event will follow in June, where the teams will be given the tools to generate ideas for their problem. Until then, there is time to complete the innovation teams, especially to integrate the users’ perspective.

On 16 March 2023, the final meeting of the 2022/2023 cycle of the Innovation Booster "Co-Designing Human Services" took place in the House of Generations in Bern. Thematically, the first year of developing innovative project ideas was dedicated to "flexible forms of living and support for seniors". In addition to the innovation teams, interested persons and actors from the social and health sectors were present. Following the presentation of the eight projects that ran through the whole cycle, the participants engaged in lively and rich discussions.

The final meeting was also an opportunity to ask questions to two of the innovation teams: Why was it worthwhile to participate in the Innovation Booster?  What characterises the Innovation Booster "Co-Designing Human Services"? You can find the videos of the event on our youtube chanel. channel. An overview of the eight projects is available on our website. The Innovation Booster management team would like to thank all participants for their cooperation and congratulate them on the results achieved.

In 2023, the Innovation Booster will focus on “integrated services and benefits in social and health care”. We want to make a contribution to the development away from segmented towards demand-driven service provision.

Hilde is 57 years old, single, unemployed. She has health problems, but also cares for her elderly mother, with whom she shares a flat. Everything is too much for Hilde, she feels lonely and overwhelmed. She is in contact with various people from social and health care, but there is no solution that takes the whole situation into account and helps to develop a perspective.

Many people who have contact with social and health issues know these and similar stories. The 2023 call for ideas of the Innovation Booster “Co-Designing Human Services” wants to contribute to improving the situation for Hilde and many others with similar problems with the annual theme "integrated services and benefits in social and health care". Not only professionals should develop new solutions, but also people like Hilde. She and all other users know best the needs from their own experience. This needs to be taken into account when developing new solutions. Although this may seem ambitious, a different view of problems and new ideas for solutions on a small scale can be of great potential.

Are you aware of situations that lead to vulnerable people being left behind and not receiving adequate social and health services, or not receiving them at all? If so, you should register for the Social Innovation Forum on 4 May 2023 in Fribourg - whether as a user (i.e. beneficiary), a professional, an employee of a state institution or a researcher. Whether you are an individual or a professional, by participating in the innovation booster you can contribute to a better health and social care system that benefits those who need it.

Interested? You can find more information in the call for ideas 2023/2024 (French, German, Italian) and on the Social Innovation Forum page

At the pitches organized by the IB Co-Designing Human Services 8 out of 16 teams successfully competed for the next phase in the innovation cycle.

From the initial 19 ideas selected at the Social Innovation Forum 16 innovation teams competed for a testing cheque after completing the ideation and discovery phase. At the pitches that took place online at the end of September and October, 8 teams were able to convince the Panel to move on to next phase. They will receive a testing cheque worth up to 10’000 CHF.

In this last phase of the innovation cycle, the teams put to test the ideas they enriched during the previous phases. With the money received, the teams will be able to design the prototypes of the services and products that they are aiming to realize. The results of this work will be showcased at the Finale date of the Innovation Booster on 16 March 2023. The programme of this event will be published as soon as it is available.

List of ideas supported for the testing phase

On 5 May, almost 100 people met in Olten with the common ambition to bring social innovation to the theme of the year proposed by the NTN Innovation Booster Co-Designing Human Services: Flexible forms of living and support for seniors.

A total of 27 innovation teams from all over Switzerland presented project ideas. The panel, consisting of representatives from research, institutions, authorities and users, was faced with the difficult task of reviewing the most relevant and innovative project ideas. In the end, the panel gave 19 project ideas the go-ahead. The selected innovation teams will be awarded a first cheque of CHF 1,000. Along a multi-phase innovation cycle, they can now further develop their project ideas and possibly test them starting in autumn 2022.

The management team of the Innovation Booster would like to thank all participants of the Forum for their commitment, dedication and the constructive day full of exchange and inspiration. In Switzerland this nation-wide forum is a definite first!

Link to the selected project ideas