Three winners and an impact prize: what the 10th European Social Innovation Competition awarded (2022)
- ›The 10th European Social Innovation Competition (EUSIC) awarded three Challenge Prize winners €50,000 each and named Sofia2Go as the Impact Prize winner.
- ›Winners: ReLearn (Italy) for AI waste monitoring, Sostre Cívic (Spain) for cooperative affordable housing, and EET / SolMate Pro (Austria) for plug-in urban energy storage.
- ›Nineteen finalist teams attended a two-day Social Innovation Academia offering bespoke coaching and acceleration support.
- ›EUSIC is run by EISMEA under the European Innovation Council and backed by Horizon Europe; the prize aims to surface social innovation but the small cash awards leave scaling questions unresolved.
EUSIC 2022: winners, process and what it means for social innovation in Europe
On 2 February 2023 the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA) and the European Commission announced the winners of the 10th edition of the European Social Innovation Competition (EUSIC). The 2022 edition challenged entrants on “the future of living” focusing on affordable and sustainable housing districts. Three projects were selected by the jury as Challenge Prize winners and each received EUR 50,000. An additional Impact Prize was awarded to a project from Bulgaria.
Who won and why
| Prize | Organisation (country) | What they do / why they were selected | Award |
| Challenge Prize | ReLearn (Italy) | Uses artificial intelligence to monitor waste production for companies and municipalities and help reduce environmental impact | EUR 50,000 |
| Challenge Prize | Sostre Cívic (Spain) | Implements a non-profit, non-speculative cooperative housing model that keeps property collective while enabling stable, affordable occupancy and democratic management | EUR 50,000 |
| Challenge Prize | Efficient Energy Technology — EET / SolMate Pro (Austria) | Provides an easy to install plug‑in energy storage device for urban users addressing storage needs in the renewables transition | EUR 50,000 |
| Impact Prize | Sofia2Go Ltd (Bulgaria) | A digital platform connecting consumers with surplus food from retailers and food service outlets to reduce food waste and deliver social impact | Awarded (monetary amount not specified in announcement) |
What the winning projects do in more detail
How the competition worked in 2022
EUSIC 2022 ran as an EIC prize under Horizon Europe and was managed by EISMEA. The competition uses staged selection. According to EISMEA, 28 initial applications were received in the first stage. From these, 21 projects were shortlisted as finalists and invited to submit full proposals in a second stage. Nineteen teams ultimately proceeded to a two‑day Social Innovation Academia and to the final evaluation. The Academia offered business acceleration services and bespoke coaching described by organisers as combining neuroscientific and creative techniques to help teams develop and scale their ideas.
Evaluation criteria and jury
Jury members scored submissions on four standard EUSIC criteria: degree of innovation, impact against the challenge, financial and environmental sustainability, and scalability/replicability. EISMEA and the Commission convened independent experts for adjudication. Jean‑David Malo, Director of EISMEA, and Hubert Gambs, Deputy Director General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs, provided official comments highlighting social innovation’s role in resilience and just transitions.
Context: what EUSIC aims to do and limits to what it can deliver
EUSIC is an EIC Prize intended to spotlight early‑stage social innovations and to connect them with acceleration services, networks and visibility. The competition can help projects refine narratives and attract partners. It is not, however, a substitute for sustained funding. The cash awards for 2022 were modest — EUR 50,000 per Challenge winner — and the Impact Prize amount was not specified in the public announcement. For many promising social innovations the critical challenge is bridging the gap to scale which often requires larger, catalytic grants, repayable finance or regional public investment and changes to regulation.
Policy and funding ecosystem — where winners might go next
The Competition sits inside a larger EU innovation and policy ecosystem. EUSIC is managed by EISMEA with policy backing from the European Innovation Council and funded within the Horizon Europe architecture. Winners interested in scaling can access multiple EU instruments and networks: Horizon Europe research and innovation grants, EIC business acceleration services, EIC Fund investment pathways, the Affordable Housing Initiative and Single Market Programme actions for housing district renovation, and regional funds or local procurement. The European Commission has specific programmes focused on district renovation, energy efficiency and affordable housing, which align with this edition’s housing theme.
Process transparency and data protection
Applications and evaluation use EIC and Horizon Europe IT platforms and the EU’s standard expert selection processes. EISMEA and the Commission process applicants’ personal data under Regulation (EU) 2018/1725 with standard retention periods for evaluators and applicants. Projects that rely on AI or digital platforms will also need to plan for compliance with EU data governance and forthcoming AI regulation regimes.
A note on later editions and continuity
EUSIC continues annually with changing themes. The Commission and EIC publish a new challenge each year to align with evolving societal priorities. For example, the 2024 edition focused on “Digital Democracy” and its winners were formally announced during the Social Innovation Network Forum in Brussels on 11 March 2025. Prize formats, award amounts and the support package can vary by edition so organisers and applicants should consult the EIC/EISMEA pages for the current rules and prize levels.
What to watch next
If you follow European social innovation keep an eye on: 1) whether the 2022 winners secure follow‑on funding through Horizon Europe calls, EIC Accelerator tracks or regional public procurement; 2) whether Social Innovation Academia alumni go on to create demonstrators at district scale; 3) how the EU’s Affordable Housing Initiative and Renovation Wave programmes absorb lessons from prize finalists; and 4) how measurement of social and environmental impact becomes standardised for small, digital and community‑driven initiatives.
Practical references
The competition and its administration are public. For further details applicants and the public can consult EISMEA and the European Innovation Council pages that host calls, rules of contest and contact addresses for EUSIC and EIC prizes. For innovators seeking scale, Horizon Europe work programmes, the Affordable Housing Initiative and Single Market Programme calls are the next practical places to look for structured funding and district renovation partnerships.