WISESHIFT

WISESHIFT aspires to advance the EU’s social economy strategy by highlighting the tangible contributions of WISEs to systemic change and sustainable development.

WISESHIFT, a cutting-edge research project supported under the Horizon Europe framework, is set to begin on March 1, 2025. With a duration of 48 months, WISESHIFT aims to provide actionable strategies, evidence-based policy recommendations, and a robust multi-level governance framework to empower Work Integration Social Enterprises (WISEs). By doing so, the project seeks to position WISEs as critical agents of inclusive and sustainable socio-economic transitions across Europe.

WISESHIFT will address key challenges in three sectors—repair, reuse, and recycling; agrifood; and community/home care for the elderly—through a detailed analysis of 24 WISEs in the EU and Serbia. The project will identify organizational factors that make WISEs “inclusive and sustainable by design” while offering insights into how policies can support their transformative role within the social economy. Ultimately, WISESHIFT aspires to advance the EU’s social economy strategy by highlighting the tangible contributions of WISEs to systemic change and sustainable development.

WISESHIFT is a collaborative effort involving a diverse consortium of partners across nine countries, including universities, research institutions, and social economy networks. Together, this partnership will combine expertise to strengthen WISEs’ capacity to foster systemic innovation and contribute to a more inclusive and sustainable Europe.

WISESHIFT is an EU Horizon project with a duration of four years (March 2025 to February 2029). The project is coordinated by Université Catholique de Louvain, Belgium.

Avalable at CORDIS: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101178477 

The WISESHIFT consortium brings together a distinguished network of 14 universities, international research centres, the EMES International Research Network (EMES), the European Network of Social Integration Social Enterprises (ENSIE), and the Reuse and Recycling European Network.

Kick-of meeting: 3rd and 4th March 2025.