A key aspect of our methodology is collaboration.

GCU are working closely with CCI to cement and formalise networks and relationships in the Social Innovation and Enterprise local ecosystem.

The University has put Social Innovation at the heart of its strategy in recent years which ties in closely with its mission ‘For the Common Good’ and aligns brilliantly to our own vision and values.

The Innovation School is a leading centre for design teaching that applies Design Innovation to the key issues defining contemporary society. They examine design’s role as a catalyst for positive change, and investigate its potential impact on people and places. Students, faculty and researchers adopt a human-centred, research-driven design approach as they explore the “near future” and “next now” in search of actionable innovations. They challenge traditional perceptions of design, and promote new ways of thinking, doing and designing, which they apply in diverse and complex real-world contexts.

Key to the development of our design-led methodology has been our involvement in the V&A Dundee’s Design for Business programme.
Our involvement with this truly inspirational programme has enabled us to better shape services that we currently offer as well as creating innovative new ones, using tried and tested design methods.

The Service Design Academy (SDA) is the first training organisation in the world to receive full accreditation from the Service Design Network (SDN). SDN has recognised the authority and quality of SDA in the provision of service design education and qualifications. SDA lead consultant Katie Murrie is a SDN Master Trainer Accreditation and all consultants are SDN Trainer Accreditation and all courses are accredited by SDN and SQA.

Similarly focused on putting citizens at the heart of everything, we’re working in collaboration with @afterthepandemic who match our ambitions to empower neighbourhoods by working in partnership with them.
Addressing societal issues – and in the midst of challenges thrown up by COVID-19 and the climate emergency – our vision is to RETHINK, REIMAGINE and REDESIGN our spaces, places and neighbourhoods to be greener and more resilient.

Led by the City of Ghent, @URBACTROOF is a network of nine cities across Europe*, collaborating to find solutions to the challenge of homelessness. Their aim is to eradicate homelessness through better use of data and using the model of Housing First.
They collaborate to use their combined expertise, as well as drawing on international research and data, to advocate for Housing First at a local, national and EU level to contribute to the eradication of homelessness in their local context.
*Ghent, Timisoara, Toulouse, Odense, Thessaloniki, Poznan, Liège, Braga and Glasgow.

The G53Together project has been designed to bring organisations and local people together within the Greater Pollok Community, to look after their neighbours, and provide a better way of life for future generations to enjoy. The group emerged from the COVID crisis. It was a demonstration of citizen and civic collaboration to respond to the immediate needs of the community during lockdown. There is now an opportunity to harness that collaboration and enthusiasm for change to deliver what communities want in a new way.

We acknowledge that we can’t generate all the answers to key challenges that the city faces from within our organisation. As a result, we have adopted some of the key principles behind Open Innovation which allows us to look outside our organisation for answers.
To support this Glasgow is proud to be part of Scottish Enterprise's Open Innovation cohort. Our involvement in this inspiring programme has allowed us to understand best practice around Open Innovation as well as providing us with the tools to produce and create innovation.