Dear Colleagues,

Social Innovation is considered relevant to deal with the “great challenges" faced by contemporary societies. New models to solve social problems involve different actors and interactions and combine diverse knowledge to introduce solutions with manageable, if not predictable, long-term results. Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are rich in resources that can be mobilized to contribute in solving social problems; they have the expertise that provides theoretical frameworks that guide the development of solutions, and the technical skills to collect and evaluate empirical data addressing the viability of the innovation. HEIs not only provide new knowledge useful in social innovation processes, but they can also participate in social innovation processes, both internally, focused on improving their own services and practices or acting as an agent of social innovation by getting involved in the different stages of these processes (idea generation, creation of experimental space, demonstrator, decision to expand, support coalition, codification, and diffusion). Moreover, HEIs can transfer knowledge across sectors, through student training and partnerships with funding agencies, private investors, public policy regulators, and the communities themselves.

However, some HEIs have a dilemma with their involvement in social innovation activities. In the emerging “world class university” model, publications and prizes seem paramount, pressuring universities to reduce their attention upon socially useful activities. Tensions also arise from increasing pressures on HEIs to prioritize individual institutional success (private benefits) over wider public benefits.

With this Special Issue, we intend to collect social innovation practices at HEIs around the world, and whether these practices are incorporated as a part of HEIs’ strategies, decisions, structures, incentives, and way of operating. This Special Issue will also provide new knowledge of scientific and social interest of the right conditions­—in the academic community, regional/national governments, social agents, and civic society (among main stakeholders)—for collaborating and supporting the HEIs’ social innovation process, and in turn, the way in addressing sustainable development objectives.

Dr. Adela García-Aracil
Dr. Rosa Isusi-Fagoaga
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• Higher Education
• Social innovation
• Social agents
• Civic society
• Service-learning
• Community-learning
• Collaborative teaching–learning
• Sustainable Development Objectives