Euclid Network (EN), the European Social Enterprise Network, brings together organisations that support social enterprises and social entrepreneurs across Europe. EN’s members and partners are frontrunners in shaping the European social enterprise ecosystem, who together support and represent close to 100,000 organisations, with presence in 26 and activities in 61 countries. Working collectively, this network is driving the development of the European social enterprise ecosystem and is paving the way for a socially inclusive, equitable and sustainable economy and society. EN, its members and partners achieve this by connecting, enhancing and celebrating social entrepreneurs, social innovators and their support organisations in Europe and neighbouring countries.
EN’s core activities are multifaceted and complementary. They include six key areas:
- Supporting the development of the European social enterprise ecosystem by addressing systemic barriers and facilitating access to finance, markets, knowledge and skills at the international and national level for leading social enterprise support organisations and the social enterprises they serve
- Building and leading partnerships through i.a. European projects, community building and peer exchanges in order to connect, unite and strengthen the development of support organisations and ecosystems serving social entrepreneurs and social innovators
- Conducting research and developing thought leadership on social enterprises and the organisations that support them, their needs, opportunities and impact, such as i.a. through “The European Social Enterprise Monitor (ESEM)” and “The State of Social Enterprise Support in Europe and Neighbouring Countries” research projects
- Building trust, community, capacity and thought leadership on driving the agenda and on topics relevant to the development of the social enterprise ecosystem such as: Impact Measurement and Management, Digitalization, (EU) Funding Skills, Social Procurement (Buy Social), (EU) Policy and Legislation, Social Innovation, Diversity and Inclusion, and so on
- Representing the voice of social enterprises and the organisations that support them at the EU and global levels through research, but also through the participation in expert groups, contributing to policy and funding developments, meeting with public officials, foundations, investors and working together with peer networks and partners
- Raising the visibility and awareness of social enterprises and their support organisations through developing case studies, best practice compendia, podcasts, multi-targeted, multi-channel campaigns such as the annual Top 100 Women in Social Enterprise
One of EN’s key projects is the European Social Enterprise Monitor (ESEM). The ESEM is a biennial study launched in 2020 which seeks to close the gap on social enterprise data in Europe. Through working with over 40 organisations in over 20 countries, the project collects and collates the input of social enterprises to enable a better understanding of who these social businesses are, what impact they are making, the barriers they face and opportunities to even more successfully address some of the most complex social and environmental challenges. These results are then used to inform decision making in public institutions, financial intermediaries and support organisations.
EN identifies, in similar style, through “The State of Social Enterprise Support in Europe and Neighbouring Countries” the needs, barriers and opportunities that social enterprise support organisations face in their work towards developing strong enabling social economy and social enterprise ecosystems at international, regional, national and local level, providing insights on how to most effectively develop ecosystems that support (underserved) social entrepreneurs and the effectiveness and value of intermediaries in this regard.
Another key resource that EN updates annually is the European Funding Toolkit. This Toolkit provides practical information on EU funding programmes and private sector financial support that is relevant for social enterprise support organisations. This includes detailed and specific information on i.a. Erasmus+, the Single Market Programme and Horizon Europe.
Are you eager to learn more about EN’s network and collectively drive the social enterprise ecosystem in Europe? Please get in touch via: team
euclidnetwork [dot] eu (team[at]euclidnetwork[dot]eu)