Creatively Re-Shaping Social Situations: A journey through the landscapes of social innovation and entrepreneurship in Europe, revealed through the work of a multidisciplinary network of researchers and practitioners using design methods and tools to create positive social change.

COST is a European funding organisation for the creation of research and innovation networks called COST Actions (CA) that connect researchers and innovators across Europe and beyond. COST Actions are bottom-up, open, interdisciplinary, multi-stakeholder networks that allow people to collaborate on any science and technology field, share their ideas, and grow their skills and knowledge. Actions are funded for four years and cover collaborative activities including workshops, conferences, training schools, dissemination and communication activities. They aim to advance research and innovation, support policy development, and foster inclusiveness and international cooperation. Cost Action CA18236 was established in October 2019 to demonstrate, through the adoption of Multi-Disciplinary Innovation (MDI) methods, how to respond to social problems with a design-led approach that supports positive social change and develops public policy discourse. The research group aims to:

• Establish a Pan-European Public Sector Innovation (ePSI) lab that will collaborate with various stakeholders and agencies to address social issues
• Integrate education programmes into the lab’s operations and prepare students for roles in employment by developing their skills and competencies in MDI
• Support agencies that have a role in responding to and developing public policy by providing them with evidence-based solutions and recommendations
• Advance the theoretical and empirical knowledge of social change processes and MDI methods
• Create a network of researchers, policy makers, practitioners and communities who share a common interest and passion for social change and social innovation

Cost Action 18236 (the Social Change Lab - Shiine) has four working groups (WG) that focus on different aspects of multi-disciplinary innovation for social change. WG1 aims to develop a critical understanding of how design-led approaches morph in practice to enable and encourage social change. The group aims to identify practical tools, platforms and programmes, particularly within higher-educational contexts. WG1 plans to make policy recommendations to raise awareness of, and improve effectiveness of multidisciplinary social innovation. This booklet describes the work of this group through spring 2023. Working Group 1 convenes members from Azerbaijan, Greece, Switzerland, Spain, Lithuania, Norway, Malta, The Netherlands, Belgium, The United Kingdom, North Macedonia, Italy, Moldova, Serbia, Slovenia, The Czech Republic, Turkey, Latvia, Slovakia, Albania, Estonia, Portugal, Poland, Kosovo, Georgia, Israel, Iceland, Montenegro, Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania, Hungary, Finland, Austria.