The VIII INNOSIB Forum of Social Entrepreneurs and Investors will be held in the regional Congress Hall from October 17 to 19.
More than 2,000 social entrepreneurs are successfully operating and developing in the Omsk region. The main social businesses are formed in two segments: education and healthcare. However, other industries have been growing rapidly in recent years. Primarily due to the efforts of social entrepreneurs working in the fields of culture, sports, and social services.
The Omsk region traditionally pays special attention to the development of a socially oriented direction in entrepreneurship, and is one of the recognized leaders in this indicator in the Russian Federation. Therefore, it is not surprising that the International Forum of Social Entrepreneurs and Investors INNOSIB-2018 will be held in our region for the eighth time. The forum is organized by the NGO "Center for Social Sphere Innovations" with the support of the Government of the Omsk region.
This year, the Forum will be held from October 17th to 19th. The whole day will be devoted to the business agenda - October 18. The opening ceremony will be attended by the Governor of the Omsk Region, Alexander Burkov, and the Consuls of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Republic of Korea will deliver welcoming speeches.
Guests from 14 foreign countries and about 20 Russian regions have confirmed their participation. Among the speakers are Ivan Klimov, General Director of the Zircon Association of Companies (Moscow), Berta Groisman, Head of the Naamat Volunteer Organization (Israel), and Irina Pavlova, one of the leaders of the Our Future Foundation for Regional Social Programs.
Priorities are defined
The main theme of the representative event was also widely announced: "Priority national projects as areas of activity for social entrepreneurs and socially oriented NGOs."
"This topic was not determined by chance," said Denis Kushner, Deputy Minister of Economy of the Omsk Region. - The INNOSIB International Forum has always been positioned as a platform where the most relevant and fresh topics are discussed not only at the regional level, but also for the whole country. This year, a new decree of the President of Russia No. 204 was approved, which defines the main strategic directions of the country's long-term development. As a follow-up to this decree, almost all federal authorities, with the participation of regional colleagues, have drawn up plans for National Projects, most of which have already been approved at a meeting of the Strategic Council under the Government of Russia. As a result, we see that each national project defines parameters that social entrepreneurs can take on. Within the framework of the policy of increasing the non-governmental sector of social services provision, they, along with budgetary institutions, are able to solve the tasks defined by the Government.
Denis Kushner clarified that the INNOSIB Forum, with the participation of both local and federal social entrepreneurs, experts, and government representatives in charge of various national projects, will host a substantive discussion of those activities and ideas that can be jointly implemented to achieve the goals set at the federal level.
According to Irina Serbina, head of the NGO Center for Social Sphere Innovations, priority national projects determine the socio-economic development of the country until 2024, which means they are also interesting for the activities of social entrepreneurs.:
- Realizing that the Projects have clear plans and well-thought-out budgeting, we treat these projects as a specific social order. Representatives of regional and federal authorities can formulate it more clearly for our social entrepreneurs at the Forum venues," Irina Vladimirovna emphasized.
Expanding borders and other innovations
In addition to the announced international and federal guests who will personally visit the venues of the INNOSIB-2018 Forum, a number of experts from other regions and countries of the world are also expected to participate remotely.
- The Forum is being held for the eighth time. Our goal is to introduce participants to specific practices and tools that can be useful to our social entrepreneurs and socially oriented NGOs to implement their projects and introduce new services," saysIrina Serbina. - And in order to work more effectively to achieve this goal, the current forum will use online streaming technologies to broadcast live from all platforms, and remote participants will join the discussion via video link. This is how we push the boundaries of the forum!
In particular, experts from the Czech Republic and Vietnam confirmed their participation in the Forum via video link, and two sites will operate in the Krasnodar Territory at once.
The concept of the INNOSIB-2018 Forum includes other innovations. For the first time, the organizers abandoned the traditional format of the exhibition, and instead, graduates of the educational programs of the Center for Social Innovation, from among social entrepreneurs and socially oriented NGOs, are ready to conduct master classes for the guests of the event in an express mode. Thus, everyone who came to the Forum will be able not only to see the list of services provided by entrepreneurs, but also to get acquainted with their work in practice. In parallel, interactive platforms will be organized where the practices of various social and entrepreneurial projects will be presented directly by representatives of the target audience for which the project has been prepared.
- We can say that this year's Forum was the result of the work of social entrepreneurs. Each Forum site is a project of one of the graduates of the educational programs of the Center for Social Innovation," she stressedIrina Serbina. - Perhaps this feature of the forum carries a certain risk. It would be much easier to prepare the agenda in traditional formats. In addition, it is clear that all graduates are at different levels of implementation of their projects. Nevertheless, we consciously took this risk! After all, the Forum is held for practical purposes: it is important for us that the activities of social entrepreneurs and socially oriented NGOs be noticed, and the entrepreneurs themselves be able to establish the contacts they need with experts and partners.
Another innovation will be the introduction of the "Mentor Living Rooms" format. They will replace the traditional investment expert sessions.
Any graduate of the School of Social Entrepreneurship or the School of Social Innovation who dares to present his project to an international and federal team of mentors can apply for participation in the Mentor Lounge.
- The private sector of the Mentor Lounge needs to be prepared for criticism. But they will be able to get an outside look at their project from professionals and receive recommendations related to the further development of their business and the search for possible sources of financing," Irina Serbina notes.
The traditional Contact Exchange will also be updated. It is planned that at least 30 agreements will be finalized as a result of the Forum. And for the first time, these agreements will be signed not only by representatives of the regional business support infrastructure with foreign and federal guests and partners, but also between social entrepreneurs and partners or other social entrepreneurs from other regions and countries.
The final plenary part of the forum, which will be held in the format of a light show with laser elements, is also planned to be solemn.
Three-day agenda
Despite the fact that the business program of the INNOSIB-2018 Forum is scheduled for October 18, both October 17 and 19 will be intense for the participants. On October 17, the organizers prepared 24 venues for master classes, which will be presented by both local and international experts.
And on October 19, the practical part of the program is planned: a tour of successful Omsk social enterprises will be organized for guests from abroad and federal guests, as well as for the media. At last year's Forum, the delegations visited social enterprises included in the Omsk Cluster of Social Innovations. In 2018, the organizers decided to invite guests to those Omsk organizations that aroused the greatest interest among nonresident and foreign participants.