EMES President Francesca Petrella and Board Member Danijel Baturina participated in the 7th CRISES International Conference, “Social Innovations as Sites of Resistance and Transformation in Times of Crisis.”

Francesca Petrella presented a paper titled “Réinventer la restauration : est-il possible d’aller vers une restauration durable et démocratisée?” This work analyses how inter-organisational and territorial cooperation can help social enterprises—including work integration social enterprises (WISEs)—within the food system to act as transition intermediaries, in line with the objectives of the WISESHIFT project.

Danijel Baturina contributed with his paper “Navigating Social Innovation in Unsupportive Environments: A Case Study from Croatia’s Justice System,” exploring how we can recognise and support social innovations that create social impact and advance social justice for vulnerable groups.

Beyond the academic exchanges, the conference provided an excellent opportunity to strengthen ties with the Canadian social innovation community, exchange perspectives on current research trends, and reinforce the links between EMES and the CRISES research centre. Events like these continue to show how social innovation can serve as a transformative force in society.