Innovation for Sustainable and Social Impact

Global challenges of social inequality and climate change, as described in the UN's Sustainable Development Goals, urgently call for products or services that sustainably offer value. There is increasingly a call to draw on innovation to address the grand challenges of sustainable development, social justice and inclusive growth. This course is designed to equip you with the skills and resources for thinking critically about the role of innovation in sustainable development and social justice. It provides a conceptual understanding of various perspectives of emerging models of innovation such as sustainable, social, frugal, reverse, grassroots, and inclusive innovation, and of the practical challenges of managing these approaches. We exemplify these approaches by reviewing case examples of how large companies, social enterprises and public sector organizations are designing and implementing new ways to improve social and environmental conditions. We use toolkits to evaluate the viability of innovative approaches and solutions that address the challenges faced by society, organisations and indeed the planet. Finally, we will assess to what extent these approaches can help grow your organization to be successful economically while also benefiting society and the planet.