We are excited to announce the launch of the Digital Scaling for Social Enterprises: Empowering Impact and Innovation (DIGI SEII)project, which officially started on September 2, 2024. This 3-year initiative, funded by the EU under the SMP-COSME 2023-SEED program, aims to equip social enterprises (SEs) and their support organisations (SESOs) with the digital tools and skills they need to scale and enhance their impact.

Why DIGI SEII?

Digitalization is revolutionising how businesses operate, innovate, and grow. For social enterprises, digital tools are a key lever for scaling operations, improving resilience, and accessing new opportunities. However, many SEs and SESOs face barriers such as a lack of digital skills, knowledge, and infrastructure. The DIGI SEII project is designed to address these challenges and enable SEs to thrive in the digital age.

Unique Methodology and Impact Pathway

What makes the DIGI SEII project stand out is its hybrid approach to learning. By combining e-learning, face-to-face training, peer-exchange opportunities, mentorship, and networking activities, the project offers a comprehensive capacity-building package. A key component of the methodology is the use of AI-powered tools to assess skills before and after training, providing personalised learning pathways and enhancing the relevance and efficiency of the training modules.

This unique approach doesn’t stop at providing knowledge but integrates digitalization directly into the scaling strategies of SEs, ensuring that the organisations embed digital tools into their growth plans. Furthermore, the project’s “train-the-trainer” model ensures that SESOs are equipped to continue providing digitalization support to SEs long after the project’s conclusion, promoting sustainability and long-term impact.

Our Target Reach and KPIs

The DIGI SEII project is ambitious in its scope. Over the course of the project, we aim to:

➡ Deliver 45 local, national, or regional capacity-building activities.

➡ Train 260 individuals from social enterprises and SESOs.

➡ Provide direct financial support to 260 SEs.

➡ Facilitate 144 coaching, mentoring, and advisory sessions for both SEs and SESOs.

➡ Organise four transnational training activities annually, for a total of 12 during the project.

➡ Engage 50 SEs in a hackathon designed to foster digital innovation.

In addition to these quantitative targets, we aim to achieve a 20% increase in participants’ understanding of key training topics and expect to see a 3% annual increase in the number of SEs reporting investment in digital tools to scale their operations .

Partners Involved

DIGI SEII is led by Euclid Network, in collaboration with:

• Reach for Change Foundation (Sweden)
• ScaleChanger (France)
• ESSEC Business School (France)
• Social Economy Ukraine (Ukraine)
• EIT Digital (Belgium/EU)
• Sociale Innovatiefabriek (Belgium)

These partners bring diverse expertise from various social enterprise ecosystems, creating a project with strong European and transnational significance.

Contribution to EU Policies

The DIGI SEII project directly contributes to several EU policies, including the European Green Deal and the Transition Pathway for the Social Economy. By aligning with the EU’s priorities on digitalization and sustainability, the project will play a key role in supporting social enterprises as drivers of social innovation and economic resilience.