John McMullan, Chief Executive of Bryson Charitable Group and Bryan Keating, Chair of MATRIX, the Northern Ireland Science Industry Panel officially launched the Horizon Report Harnessing the Power of Social Innovation.

The report, which was developed by a panel of experts from across the sector and chaired by John McMullan, analyses the current capability of the sector within Northern Ireland and identifies the barriers and opportunities for harnessing social innovation to deliver social and economic benefits.

It sets out a definition for social innovation and it makes a number of recommendations the panel believe will make a positive contribution to the Northern Ireland Innovation Strategy.

Launching the report at Bryson House, John McMullan said:

“The challenges of the future such as an ageing population, high levels of social exclusion and the uncertainty of climate change, require us to think how we can use innovation to help deliver solutions for the benefit of our whole society. There is no doubt that social innovation will be a key driver in achieving social stability and economic growth and within a Northern Ireland context, it is widely recognised that social innovation will be a central feature in the development of enterprising and growing local economy.

“This report contains a comprehensive list of case studies from Northern Ireland and from around the world, which demonstrate that social innovation can improve the lives of people. This is a report from which we can learn much.”

Bryan Keating, Chair of MATRIX added,

“I would like to thank the Enterprise Minister, Arlene Foster and her department for their foresight in allowing us to undertake this study into social innovation. I would also extend my gratitude to the team who brought the report to fruition, and particularly the report’s author Roger Warnock.

“As someone who has been in the private sector all my life, working on this report has given me a greater understanding of the range of social innovation in Northern Ireland and the concept of shared value. For MATRIX, while not the main work of a science-industry panel, social innovation will be central in addressing the many global megatrends, which influence the economic opportunities available to our local companies and their ability to compete in new global markets.”