Initiated by the JKU's Linz Institute of Technology and Volkshilfe of Upper Austria, UpdateSocial was sponsored by the Ludwig Boltzmann Society ("The Future We Want!") as a scientific project. Findings were collected throughout the process in support of a comprehensive "Learning Report" about shared learning experiences as part of the open social innovation process.

The partnership between academia (JKU) and non-governmental organizations (Volkshilfe Upper Austria) mobilized innovative minds from all walks of life by using an open social innovation approach to address social challenges. The goal was to bring people who would have otherwise never met together. Under the motto "Gemeinsam mehr erreichen!", the first UpdateSocial 48-hour idea workshop took place in April 2023. People worked together for an entire weekend to address social challenges and devise solutions.

The result: 200 participants, 55 experts, and 38 submitted ideas and concepts.

Following additional stages, 24 interdisciplinary teams addressed areas covering social climate protection, nursing and caregiving, inclusive society, work, inclusion & integration, adolescents, involvement and opportunities, as well as digitalization and social counseling & social work.

The teams presented their respective projects to an interdisciplinary, ten-member jury on October 2, and a total of five acknowledgement awards (accompanied with € 1000 each in prize money) were conferred.

The Jury

Christian Kaar - VP Finance & Business Analytics, Leaders21, co-founder of Runtastic

Eveline Pupeter - CEO Emporia

Philipp Hirsch - Regional Manager OÖNachrichten

Almina Bešić - Assistant Professor at the Johannes Kepler University

Jasmine Chansri - Managing Director Volkshilfe Upper Austria

Norbert Rainer - Manager Klimabündnis Upper Austria

Anna Ferihumer - Social Affairs and Care in Upper Austria

Stefanie Schauer - Founder & Managing Director Offisy Ltd.

Sabine Rehbichler - Manager Arbeit.Plus

Matthias Uhl - TGW Future Wings

Acknowledgement Award Winners
 

Nougat
... seeks to create an AI-supported web portal using a chatbot to inquire about a person's situation in need of help (e.g. area of support, age, income) and, based on this information, provide information regarding potential financial support in Upper Austria (e.g. housing assistance, care allowance).
Team members: Johanna Diener & Bernhard Vidra
Area: Digitization, social consulting, and labor issues

INDIMA
... addresses the shortage of skilled workers in Upper Austria. INDIMA will automatically evaluate international qualifications and suggest potential continuing educational measures. INDIMA aims to streamline the validation process regarding international qualifications and facilitate hiring highly qualified migrants. In addition, INDIMA also won the 2023 Social Impact Award!
Team members: Gevorg Simonyan, Emin Vojnikovic, Nikita Kolesnichenko, with support by Hanna Tkachenko and Yana Bachychuk.
Area: Work, inclusion & integration

N’OLD – Choose2Reuse
... an initiative to collect clothing donations directly from existing organizations in order to "upcycle" them into fashionable products in like-new condition. The initiative is based on an independent workplace and various partnerships (such as with fashion schools).
Team members: Eva Kaufmann, Tina Kainrath, Georg Kofler, Valentina Godino, Michael Fellinger, David Pichler
Area: Socially-based climate protection

Generationally Appropriate Communities
... helps communities determine where they stand and develop solutions to the demographic challenges they will face in the future. The process involves a standardized and modular approach and based on using a specially developed digital tool. The process begins with a social space analysis to determine a need for action and allocate pre-defined fields of action.
Team members: Hannes Heissl, Thomas Duschlbauer, Walter Lanz
Area: Nursing and caregiving

Social Advancement Through Education
A number of parents who have emigrated to Austria are not in a position to provide their children with the education support they may need in school on account of a lack of time, language issues, or financial resources. In this regard, the Upper Austrian Family Association has been working together with schools, families and students in Linz and Wels at selected locations in a supportive capacity. The support for scholastic issues and learning will grow to address current challenges and the work already undertaken with parents.
Team members: Danna Awad and Efgani Dönmez
Area: Education


Congratulations to all of the other teams involved in the judging process:

Käthe Köstlich
Retirees come together to cook and bake together; financial rewards and opportunities to socialize.
Team: Daniela Brandenberger.
Area: 

TherapizeMe
An app for physiotherapy, occupational therapy & hippotherapy in order to measure patient progress.
Team member: Jakob Mühlberger
Area: 

Boudicca.Events
A one-stop resource for accessibility-related event information, enhanced with accessibility data so that events can be more accessible to everyone.
Team members: Matthias 'Yolgie' Holzinger, Stefanie Breinlinger, Julia Selmert, Tobias Watzl, Matthias Ableidinger
Area: An inclusive society

PflegeWege digital+
Digital educational course for those caring for relatives who suffer from dementia.
Team member: Thomas Duschlbauer
Area: Nursing and caregiving

JUNTO (organizing young teams)
A platform for student volunteers bringing people with similar interests together.
Team members: Sonja Falkner-Matzinger, Matthias Heiden, Kyrylo Meliushko, Alexander Peherstorfer, Lorenz Pfeiffer, Linda Schönleitner
Area: Adolescents, involvement and opportunities