Social Entrepreneurship: A Catalyst for Sustainable Development

The NSE Social Entrepreneurship for Sustainable Development initiative will establish an international research consortium with Indian partners and develop a joint research agenda which can make entrepreneurs more effective and efficient as carriers of ne w solutions for a more sustainable and just society. Social entrepreneurship encompasses the activities and processes undertaken to discover, define and exploit opportunities in order to enhance social wealth by creating new ventures or managing existi ng organizations in an innovative manner. Knowledge and capacity in this field is central to the success in several areas of the Indo-Norwegian research cooperation, particularly the link between the environment and economic and social development. The objective of the planned research program following the pre-project period is to enhance the effectiveness of measures taken to educate, facilitate and strengthen social entrepreneurs and social innovation, particularly related to developing and deliverin g technology-based products and services for sustainable development. The strategy is to develop an action research partnership with a research institute involved in developing prototypes and delivery models for environmentally friendly, appropriate tech nologies for rural India. A partnership with a top management school will focus on enabling structures and ecosystems which facilitate social entrepreneurship, scale and spread of social innovation. Social entrepreneurship is a new research field, and No rway is lagging behind comparative countries in social entrepreneurial activity. There is a lack of quantitative research as well as comparative studies related to the Norwegian context. Knowledge created through the project will benefit entrepreneurs a nd Norwegian industry established in or entering India, faculty and students at NTNU, the partners in the consortium and their networks.