Paris, CNAM | 10–11 June 2025

Earlier this month, EMES took part in an inspiring international conference titled “Économie Sociale et Solidaire : innovation, formation, recherche. De nouvelles synergies par un dialogue Sud-Nord global”, co-organised by EMES institutional member CNAM, the Brazilian Ministry of Research, Technology and Innovation, and the Federal University of Cariri, as part of the France-Brazil Year initiative.

The two-day event, hosted at CNAM in Paris, brought together academics, practitioners, and policy-makers from across the globe to explore the unprecedented dynamics emerging in the Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE). The central aim was to foster new synergies between innovation, training, and research, and to promote deeper collaboration between the Global South and North.

EMES at the Forefront of the South-North Dialogue

Andreia Lemaître (UCLouvain), institutional member, was representing EMES during the opening plenary, highlighted how the South-North dialogue and the search for synergies have long been at the heart of EMES’ mission and values. Her intervention reaffirmed the importance of co-constructing knowledge and practice across geographies and traditions of the SSE.

 Contributions on Ecological Transition and Democratic Governance

Francesca Petrella, President of EMES, contributed to the debate with a presentation focused on Ecological Transition and Democratic Governance in the SSE. Her talk built on insights from two ongoing Horizon Europe research projects, launched earlier this year — EMCCINNO and WISESHIFT — in which EMES plays an active role. These projects explore how innovation ecosystems and inclusive governance structures can accelerate sustainable transitions across Europe and beyond.

This conference marks another meaningful step in reinforcing EMES’s international engagement and supporting knowledge co-production across continents. As the SSE continues to evolve, EMES remains committed to fostering inclusive, sustainable, and democratic alternatives through global dialogue and collaboration.