What are Social Innovation Labs?
In a nutshell, Labs hold space for diverse change makers to sense make, generate, develop, and test a portfolio of promising solutions to address complex societal challenges in a way that is collaborative, experimental, iterative, and systemic. To learn more about what we mean when we say “Lab” checkout Stream One of Inquiry here.
Examples of Labs in Action
Below we’ve pulled three videos that showcase what a Lab can look like in action. They are a small sample size of what Labs can be, but give anyone new to the space, a tangible example of what the work can look like. If you have a video on a Lab that you’d like to see profiled here reach out at actionlab@skillssociety.ca.
This 10 minute mini documentary showcases the Future of Home: Inclusive Housing Solutions Lab that focussed on co-creating accessible, affordable, and inclusive housing and support models with people with intellectual disabilities, their allies, and system stakeholders. You can learn more about the project here.
A quick 2 minute video created by Social Innovation Generation Canada (SiG) that outlines a social innovation approach - what it is and how its impactful.
This 10 minute, mini documentary highlights Design by Doing 2.0, a social innovation process that explored barriers to employment for Bhutanese newcomers in Edmonton. You can learn more about the project here.
Labs Around the World
The Labs Community
Ever wondered who else is doing Lab or “Lab-Like” work? Here we’ve created a compilation of Labs doing work we admire in Canada and beyond. Do you have a lab you’d like to submit? Submissions will be reviewed for approval by the Future of Labs team. Submit a lab >
Labs as Service
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
actionlab.ca
A space to think differently and make things happen, Action Lab is a physical space that can be rented, builds capacity amongst community members and organisations to use Lab practices in their work including hosting Systemic Design eXchange a community of practice, and co-designs Lab processes with diverse communities and organisations looking for alternative approaches to tackling complex social challenges. Past projects include: Edmonton Shift Lab that explored racism in Edmonton, Future of Home: Inclusive Housing Solutions Lab that prototyped inclusive housing and support models with people with intellectual disabilities, Design by Doing 2.0 that explored pathways to employment with the Bhutanese community, and the Curbside Accessible Parking Project that looked at improving accessibility of curbside parking in Edmonton. Action Lab’s unique structure, nestled under a larger non profit organisation, supports its overall sustainability.
Canada based but also works internationally
inwithforward.com
A social design organisation that makes human services more human. Past work includes Family by Family a matching platform for families in contact with the child protection system, Get Together addressing social isolation among older people using the telephone, Loops connecting young people to new horizon broadening experiences, Grounded Space a 2 year exploration around building a culture of experimentation in Canadian social organisations, and
Standing Up or Moving Forward which explored flourishing with women in a domestic violence shelter.
New Brunswick
Pond-Deshpande Centre, University of New Brunswick
ponddeshpande.ca/noulab/
A Social Innovation Lab that offers capacity building, strategic planning, project support, innovation lab stewardship, and service design. Two recent Social Innovation Labs they’ve stewarded include the Economic Immigration Lab and Early Childhood Education Lab.
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
www.marsdd.com/
As North America’s largest urban innovation hub and a registered charity, MaRS provides direct support for startups, builds communities of innovators and accelerates the adoption of high-impact solutions to some of the world’s most pressing issues. They host MaRS IAF, an early stage investment fund; connect innovators seeking employment with high growth tech companies; rent out their spaces as event venues; and provide hands on support to start ups.
Canada-wide
sicanada.org
Social Innovation Canada’s Labs are designed to focus on complex problems and to build strategies for transformation in systems. SI Canada co-led the Financialization of Housing Lab and is currently leading the Hamilton Transit Oriented Affordable Housing Lab, both CMHC Solutions Lab projects. In its early stages, the Climate and Equity Lab, a collaboration between Gore Mutual Foundation, Social Innovation Canada (SI Canada), and York
University’s Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change, aims to understand the impacts of climate change on vulnerable groups in Canadian urban areas, emphasis
Australia
www.tacsi.org.au/
Formed in 2009 as an initiative of the South Australian Government, TACSI is an independent social enterprise working in the following action areas: mental health, social R&D, people powered responses, future of home, regenerative communities, and the social innovation workforce. Family by Family is one example of a TACSI born innovation that has scaled.
Spain
upsocial.org
UpSocial works in five lines of action: innovations, capacity building, scaling, policies, and learnings. UpSocial has supported the development and implementation of numerous projects spanning diverse challenge areas including: universal access to sustainable food, social inclusion, promoting mental well being, generating employment in the green economy to name a few. STEM Lab, a project of UpSocial, produced JUMP Math which is a math program that is now scaling internationally.
Originated in the UK but now works globally
darkmatterlabs.org
An ambitious not-for-profit, the team at Dark Matter analyses shifts required in the underlying ‘dark matter’ (i.e. monetary, economic, governance, regulatory and policy systems) to manifest transformations to food, housing, land, material, and nature systems that support mutual thriving. Through their imaginative action projects they seek to challenge established thought and demonstrate alternative actions.
Australia
Griffith University
www.griffith.edu.au/griffith-business-school/centre-for-systems-innovation
Started in 2018, they partner with organisations across sectors to create safe and courageous spaces and action learning opportunities to transform ‘stuck’ systems. Then they take what they’re learning and offer boundary-pushing post graduate courses for adaptive leaders of the future.
Global
Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation, Development of Germany, Qatar Fund for Development
www.undp.org/acceleratorlabs
The UNDP Accelerator Labs is the world’s largest and fastest learning network on wicked sustainable development challenges. The Network is composed of 91 Lab teams covering countries and taps into local innovations to create actionable insights and reimagine sustainable development for the 21st century. The Lab is an interesting example of scaling up a network of people embedded in existing institutional contexts, but operating differently from dominant culture, and connecting the people across geographies. Whilst the scale is alluring (91 geographies), the quality and substance of what the team are building is the most interesting part - a mix of central coordination and sensemaking, and decentralised operations and learning culture.
Policy Labs
United Kingdom
openpolicy.blog.gov.uk
Started in 2014, Policy Lab’s mission is to radically improve policy making through design, innovation, and people-centred approaches.
Service Design Labs
Coeuraj, McConnell Foundation
www.coeuraj.com/work/reconciliationlab
The first round of this lab took place in 2021 and engaged two post secondary institutions in its exploration of how to incorporate the TRC Calls to Action into their work. A second round, starting in 2023 is engaged two more post secondaries in this work. As part of the lab, post secondary institutions are supported to form and facilitate their own lab teams with peer learning, coaching, and other resources provided.
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
citystudiovancouver.com/
An innovation hub that brings city staff, students, faculty, and community to co-create experimental projects that make Vancouver more sustainable, equitable, joyful, and
inclusive.The hub aims to build capacity amongst everyday citizens to innovate and change make. Projects are on a wide range of topics including: climate emergency, democracy, reconciliation, equity and inclusion, or health and well being.
Uniquely focused on institutional innovation, TIAL was formed in 2023 to help the institutional design community coalesce, learn together, and grow. Their approach links practical work - specific projects aimed at significantly updating old institutions and creating new designs - with reflection, synthesis, and accumulation of knowledge in its field building.
Systems Change Labs
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Engineers Canada, Engineers Without Borders
engineeringchangelab.ca
programs.techstewardship.com/
From 2015-2019, the Engineering Change Lab employed unique governance and funding models to co-create a scalable response to challenges facing the Engineering profession. One solution generated included a technological stewardship framework and training that is now scaling and helps engineers establish a practice more considerate of environmental, social, and ethical impacts.
New Brunswick, Canada
NouLAB, New Brunswick Multicultural Council, New Brunswick Business Council
economicimmigrationlab.org
A project of NouLAB, from 2017 to 2020, this Lab worked to improve outcomes for economic immigration to New Brunswick. The Lab engaged 68 participants and 49 unique
organisations, produced 15 prototypes, contributed to shifting the attitudes and perspectives of participants, and sparked several policy changes.
New Brunswick, Canada
NouLAB
ecelaboepe.ca
Since March 2020 this Lab has brought together diverse stakeholders to co-create innovative ideas to support the early childhood education workforce. 4 prototypes in Round 1 and 5 prototypes in Round 2 were created including a ‘centre mentor program’ and ‘study leave support program’.
Alberta, Canada
energyfutureslab.com
An Alberta based coalition of diverse innovators and organisations, this lab supports change makers as they collaboratively explore how to leverage Canada’s assets and innovation capacity to accelerate an inclusive and equitable transition to a prosperous net-zero future. The lab’s four core challenge areas include: financing the transition to future fit hydrocarbons, digital innovation for net-zero buildings, rural community resilience in a low carbon future, and Alberta’s electricity future.
West Kootenays, British Columbia, Canada
Nelson Civic Theatre, Tiny Lights Festival, Vancouver Foundation
www.ruralinclusion.ca/what-is-rail
Created to address the systems that exclude marginalised voices from arts organisations, audiences, and performers in rural British Columbia, this three year place based project is
using art and artists as a medium to raise voices of marginalised groups.
Turtle Island, Canada
fngovernance.org/
Transforming the ways First Nations govern, this lab is the only organisation in Canada dedicated to transitioning First Nations from the Indian Act to their own concept of self-governance. Since 2012 the lab has worked in over 200 First nations across Canada delivering self-governance services to citizens and leaders and have recently partnered with
Carleton University to develop and launch the Rebuilding First Nation Governance Project, a national alliance of First Nation communities and Tribal Councils, academic researchers, and public sector practitioners.
Treaty 6, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Edmonton Community Foundation, Action Lab
www.edmontonshiftlab.ca
Running from 2015 to 2020, this lab focused on tackling racism in Edmonton. Shift Lab 2.0 focussed more specifically on creating interactive processes that motivate the ‘sleepy middle’ to change racist behaviours. Uniquely, Shift Lab developed what they called a ‘triple helix approach’, weaving together design thinking, systems thinking, and Indigenous epistemologies. The lab produced several prototypes, some of which are scaling across Canada.
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
slowlab.net
Through in-situ dialogue, workshops, exhibitions, immersive study experiences, and research residencies, this Lab aims to expand the field of human awareness and activity in the pursuit of more harmonious and resilient forms of living. The Lab’s approach is multidisciplinary and inspired by the integrity of our planet’s living systems and what Goethe called ‘conscious process participation’.
Technical Challenge Labs
Ontario, Canada
MaRS Discovery District, Ministry of Government and Consumer Services
marsdd.com/service/procurement-by-co-design/
This Lab supported technological solutions for health care institutions (e.g. hospitals, long term care homes) by pairing them with emerging tech companies. It was also a systems intervention trying to model alternative ways to procure novel solutions and break out of the limitations and challenges of traditional RFP processes.
Colombia
IDB Lab, SECO (Swiss Economic Development Agency)
A Lab focussed on transforming the way social impact projects are financed and carried out in Colombia with a focus on promoting public-private partnerships. In the first 7 years they focused on the employment challenges of people far from the labour market and have plans to move to other critical social challenges as well. SIBs.CO Currently has 6 initiatives active including: social impact bonds, performance based contracts, financial vehicles, and an open data platform.
Global Peatlands Initiative, Climate Catalyst, Climate Champions Team
globalpeatlands.org/events/gpi-innovation-lab-unlocking-private-sector-action-peatlands
This lab brought together policymakers, businesses, and other stakeholders to unlock private sector action for peatlands. Out of this lab unlocking finance through viable financing mechanisms that bring together private capital and businesses with an enabling environment from policymakers was identified as one of the most pressing challenges. Next a hackathon workshop is planned to unlock the financial ‘deals’ that are needed for peatlands conservation and restoration.