New Tools for Digital Transition in Social Economy

Digital transformation is a major challenge for all third sector players, including cooperatives, associations, and foundations. This is why the DigiSE5.0 project aims to introduce the required skills to accelerate the digital transition within social economy courses. With this goal, the project will develop innovative activities, online courses, and field learning experiences.

The initiative follows the recently concluded SE4ces project, which allowed the development of innovative teaching approaches regarding social economy and co-teaching educational methodologies between university and social enterprises, as well as the creation of the Joint Professional Online Master’s Programme on Social Economy and Community Development Strategies. It is the first international joint master’s programme on social economy. SE4Ces has contributed to disseminating fundamental skills and knowledge in social economy, both at a local and European level.

This journey now continues with the new DigiSE5.0 project. One of its main objectives is to test the potential of the Digital Value Creation Labs. Flexible training paths and tools designed to integrate Digital Value Creation Labs into courses aimed at social economy institutions will then be planned.

To achieve all this, existing courses and third sector needs will be mapped, and surveys, interviews, and co-planning sessions will be conducted. A capacity-building programme for professors and researchers will be created, to be put into practice through international training, webinars, and online courses.

This will be complemented by the development of the DigiSE5.0 curriculum, designed for students of social economy courses and co-created through the Digital Value Creation Labs. The curriculum aims to develop skills and promote creative solutions to accelerate the digital transition of the third sector.

Co-funded by the European Union, the Erasmus+ project DigiSE5.0 (Unlocking the Capacity of Future Social Entrepreneurs to Effectively Drive Digital Transition by Embedding a Forward-Looking and Competence-Oriented Training Programme in Social Economy Education) is coordinated by the Rzeszów Regional Development Agency in Poland. The initiative involves a group of researchers from the University of Bologna, coordinated by Professor Federica Bandini of the Department of Management, together with Stimmulti for Social Change (Greece), Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Greece), Kraków University of Economics (Poland), and Cooperatives Europe (Belgium).