The Réseau québécois en innovation sociale (RQIS) is a space for sharing and mobilizing knowledge and experience, helping to make social innovation an essential lever for sustainable development in Quebec.
Created in 2005 as part of the Université du Québec network, RQIS first focused on gaining a better understanding of social innovation, its protagonists and processes, and the knowledge mobilization practices associated with them. This period also provided an opportunity to identify the challenges and issues associated with this sector.
From 2007 to 2010, the Network focused on supporting projects and consolidating its role as a facilitator between the worlds of research and practice. In particular, it set up a Community of Interest (CoI), which enabled its members to pool their knowledge and expertise and participate in formalizing and disseminating them for the benefit of Quebec society. From these exchanges, a renewed definition of social innovation has emerged which considers the growing complexity of today’s challenges and the new approaches needed to address them. We are also seeing the development of a vision of social innovation that emphasizes the importance of consolidating Quebec’s social innovation system, recognizing it, structuring it further and giving it the ability to put itself into action.
In 2013, RQIS became a non-profit organization. Its activities continued, thanks in particular to the funding from the J.W. McConnell Family Foundation, which enabled the creation of forums for sharing expertise on what is being done in all regions of Quebec. Additionally, the funding permitted the launch of a study on indicators for social innovation, which culminated in the production of evaluation tools in 2023.
In 2020, funding from the Fondation Lucie et André Chagnon gave RQIS renewed energy. The Network took advantage of the opportunity to revitalize its various roles, including that of creating a space for exchange and that of advocating for social innovation to government bodies.
The Network’s renewed energy comes at a time when social innovation is gaining in popularity as a valid solution to social,environmental, and economic challenges. RQIS is proud to be the only organization to bring together all the players involved in social innovation in the service of socio-economic development in Quebec.
Link- Definition of social innovation
