The Institute of Social Innovation, p.b.o. (USI) is the non-profit non-governmental organization from Kobylnice, Czech Republic. The organization's work is oriented mainly towards socio-economically disadvantaged areas – the rural areas of Jihomoravsky region and partially also Olomouc region. USI can bring to the partners more than 10 years’ experience with training and animation in Czech rural areas. Recently our organization has 9 staff members and monthly turnover about 10 thousands EUR. We are based in the Southern Moravia region (NUTS II Southeast) being active also in the other regions of the Czech Republic.
Since its establishment in 2002, it has actively participated in the acquisition of experience mainly in the following three areas:
- Human resources development - provides training, seminars, retraining programs and infrastructure for education;
- Socio-economic cohesion of the region - supports the activities of enterprises (especially SMEs) and their cooperation with non-profit and public sector;
- Promoting international cooperation of public institutions - seeking foreign partners, building cooperation with them and handles foreign experience and education (with the implementation of technical projects abroad).
USI has experience in working with the SMEs and with including involvement of local, regional and other different stakeholders into the project implementation (e.g. local and regional public authorities, SMEs, NGOs oriented on the sector of renewable energies and other stakeholders). The objective of this approach will be involved all relevant bodies into the development of this area in the long term and to positively influence further development in the regional and national context.
The second field of organization expertise is sustainable development issues. Institute of Social Innovations provides consultation services and training for preparation of local social economic development projects with respect of sustainability principles, employment, human potential development and environment.
USI has implemented projects oriented to strengthen the employability, sustainability and the SMEs creation in the rural areas of Southern Moravia region supported from the Operational Programme
Human Resources and Employment, measure 2.1 Active employment policies. The organization has experience with transnational projects mainly financed by the European Social Fund as the “Innovative measures financed under Article 6 of ESF regulation. It has also been actively involved within the Operational Programme Human Resources and Employment, priority 5 Transnational Cooperation.