World Innovation Day: Call for Mapping Macedonian Social Enterprises

SKOPJE — On the World Day of Creativity and Innovation – April 21, ARNO, together with the Ministry of Social Policy, Demography and Youth, the Agency for Innovation, Scientific and Technological Development and Entrepreneurship “INOVA”, the Association for Research, Communications and Development “Public”, Konekt Association and Business Impact Lab, are inviting all Macedonian social entrepreneurs to join the most important European survey “European Social Enterprise Monitor” (ESEM). The survey is short, lasts about 15 minutes, and the data will be presented in a comparative European report. More information about filling out and accessing the survey itself can be found at this link.

On the World Day of Creativity and Innovation, ARNO and the partners remind that the greatest innovations do not always come from laboratories, but from the need to solve a specific social or environmental problem. Social enterprises are exactly that – innovative models that “jump out” of classic business to offer solutions where the existing system still has no answer.

“We are a small country, but we are innovative and now is the time to show what we have. We invite everyone who identifies as a social enterprise — associations with economic activities, cooperatives, craftsmen or farmers with a social mission, companies with work integration — to fill out the survey. Both to show what we have from local examples, and to obtain data on where we are and what needs to be done next in terms of providing appropriate support,” said Irina Janevska from ARNO.

nnovations in this sector are bringing real change, as demonstrated by numerous global and local examples. On a global level, social innovations such as Fairphone are revolutionizing the electronics market through repairable phones, while the Viennese Vollpension cafe is turning the skills of pensioners with lower incomes into a hit tourist attraction. In Macedonia, ARNO has been supporting enthusiasts who solve local challenges through creativity over the years. Examples of such innovative models are Mirjana Josifoska, who creates designer hats from textile waste, offering fair work to seamstresses from Polog, Kristijan Shopov (Kiko Magico), who educates children about environmental protection through magic performances and Maria Duda, who runs a rescue animal ranch in Rankovce, where equine-assisted therapy is provided for children with autism.

The “European Social Enterprise Monitor” is the largest study in Europe, uniting over 30 countries. Having more knowledge about the sector allows EU funding and policies and national strategies to be better adapted to the needs of social entrepreneurs. The survey is conducted in 42 countries, in 32 languages.

“ARNO, through the project “Investing in Change”, has the opportunity to closely monitor trends in social or impact entrepreneurship. There is more and more talk about investments, credit lines, and less and less about grants. This is a great exercise to count who we are, how much we are and where we are in Macedonia, so that we know what is next. We have joined this process pro-bono, out of a sincere desire to both obtain data and for Macedonian entities to appear on the platform. Help us put Macedonian social enterprises on the map, thus paving the way to an economy in which people and the planet will come first! ” – reported by ARNO.

The “Investing in Change” project is a pioneering initiative funded by the European Union. The project aims to develop a more favorable environment for social entrepreneurship in the Western Balkans by improving access to finance, involving relevant stakeholders and investors, and advancing policies in this area. The project is coordinated by Impact Europe, and is implemented in partnership with ARNO (Macedonia), Partners Albania (Albania), Smart Collective (Serbia), Foundation 787 (Bosnia and Herzegovina), ADP-Zid (Montenegro) and ICK (Kosovo).