About the Academy – Danish Social Innovation Academy

Social Innovation

The Academy contributes to social change by strengthening our collective imagination, knowledge, and capacity for action.

A community of leaders working towards a sustainable society – economically, environmentally, and socially.

At the Academy, we believe that the path to a more sustainable society lies in strong communities where everyone has equal opportunities to be heard, involved, and influential. This is social innovation and the key to our collective power to act.

We explore and develop new perspectives and approaches to the complex societal challenges we face.

We participate in and create communities of change across society – where they make a difference and where they are still lacking.

We experiment, share knowledge, and build capacity for social innovation—both among our members and in society as a whole.

THE MEMBERS' ORGANISATIONS

Good to know about the Academy

What is the Academy?

Danish Social Innovation Academy a membership community for leaders working with social change, from companies and business organizations to municipalities and NGOs. We use social innovation as an approach to addressing complex societal challenges.

As Denmark's national center of excellence for social innovation, we work both nationally and internationally. We collaborate with other EU countries to strengthen social innovation as a method and approach, while building Denmark's capacity to create real change through social innovation.

Why Danish Social Innovation Academy?

Danish Social Innovation Academy founded in 2019 to strengthen collaboration and innovation across sectors of society. Social innovation plays an increasingly relevant role in a time of declining social cohesion, growing inequality, and political polarization. Using social innovation as its approach, the Academy works to strengthen community and agency in society.

How does the Academy work?

We share our collective knowledge and experience and develop new solutions to complex societal challenges. We experiment and create space for conversations outside of established systems and ideas. Members meet several times a year, including for development laboratories and our large annual meeting, Open Academy. We hold open networking and inspiration events with a focus on sharing knowledge and tools from social innovation. In addition, members work together on an ongoing basis in small groups on selected social agendas that we want to influence.

Where is the Academy located?

The Academy there, where we can make a difference, whether it is on major national agendas such as welfare and well-being or smaller initiatives such as green transition in a local area. We are based at Thoravej 29 in Copenhagen's Northnorthwestern district together with several other organisationsworking with social change. The Academyhas activities and events throughout throughout the country, and also works across Europe as national center of excellence for social innovation.

Current agendas Approaches and methods

Who are the members of the Academy?

The core and driving force of the Academy are its members: leaders from across society who are committed to bringing about lasting change. We take a broad view of leadership in social development, placing at least as much emphasis on commitment, professionalism, and decision-making ability as on traditional personnel responsibility.

Together, members bring their knowledge, courage, and drive to bear in developing new solutions to today's greatest challenges, from the democracy of the future to the green transition. They ask the necessary, difficult questions and challenge both each other and the prevailing mindset in society.

Meet the members Become a part of the Academy

The Academy's collaborativepartnerand and communities

We are united in change. The Academy is in partnerships and changecommunities – and creationare those that do not yet exist. We play a central role in building and strengthening the ecosystem for social innovation in Denmark. We do this by disseminating and connecting knowledge about social innovation with concrete practice and involving both established and unknown actors in the field.

Forandringskraft

The Academy is a co-founder of Forandringskraft (Power of Change) – a gathering point for actors throughout Denmark who are working for positive change. This is achieved through change communities and community workshops, pop-up events, and a large annual event, among other things. From 2025 to 2027, the Academy will run a community workshop together with the Local Government Denmark, where we will explore the welfare society of the future.

Thoravej 29

The Academy is a co-founder of the Thoravej 29 community , where around 200 members work to bring about positive change. Members work with everything from education and employment to art and mental well-being. Social innovation is a central part of the work at Thoravej, where we meet across disciplines, interests, and positions of power with the ambition of creating a better society together.

The Future Coalition

The Academy is a co-founder of the Future Coalition, which works for the ambitious political implementation of the UN's "Declaration for Future Generations." Denmark has committed itself to the Declaration, which aims to ensure that the well-being of future generations is prioritized in politics and administration. The coalition works to create knowledge and a common language to ensure broad public support, independent of party politics.

The Future Laboratory 'Snart'

Soon, a laboratory for possible futures will be located at Thoravej 29 in Copenhagen. Here, we invite the future to participate in the decisions we make in the present. For the benefit of the generations of humans and other species that will come after us.

Soon will be open to anyone who wants to actively work on the future in order to make better decisions in the present.

Here, you can put yourself in the shoes of future generations, consult different species, discover new voices and methods, and begin to use the future as a concrete tool for development.

Snart is open to everyone. Read more on Snart's website.

The Academy's latest knowledge and resources

Interview

Open Academy

The art of change

The journey to the sensory society

Jon Alexander: Humans must rediscover our role as a species

The welfare society we want to pass on

New collaboration on future landscapes

New grant for Danish Social Innovation Academy

Social innovation from a Danish perspective

Paths for Everyone A community with unfulfilled potential

The Academy's Annual Report 2024/2025

A call for hope

A community for the change makers of the future