About Social Innovation

About

At UK Innovate, Social Innovation aims to build sustained societal impact by addressing community needs, effectuating the impact of research, diversifying the innovation ecosystem and advancing innovations through creative scale models, entrepreneurship and strategic partnerships.

We are committed to:

Developing and supporting efforts, programs and initiatives that drive meaningful innovation for positive social change.
Creating community-engaged projects and solutions that promote inclusive innovation practices with intentionality throughout the Commonwealth and beyond.
Identifying, evaluating and facilitating impactful solutions derived from inventions, research and innovations at the University of Kentucky and beyond.

Through these efforts, UK Innovate Social Innovation is a hub for transformative change, empowering individuals and communities to make a lasting difference locally and globally.

Our Pillars

Social Innovation is driven by three core pillars that connect research, community and education to create lasting impact. These pillars guide our efforts to translate ideas into solutions that address society’s most pressing challenges.

Community Engagement

Connecting Communities for Change

Translational Research

Advancing Innovations to effectuate impact

Training & Development

Empowering Growth and Impact through Innovation

Meet the Team

Meg Brennan

Program Coordinator, Social Innovation

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Serenity Wright

Senior Associate Director, Social Innovation

Frequently Asked Questions

Social Innovation is a human-centered approach to developing evidence-based solutions that address societal challenges and support economic development. We advance this work through strategic partnerships with researchers, industry, and communities, co-creating sustainable solutions that drive meaningful, lasting impact.

Social innovations are solutions to address economic development and societal issues grounded in human-centered design.

We partner with researchers, entrepreneurs, students, and community leaders to drive lasting change.

Everyone! All UK faculty, researchers, staff, students, and non-UK industry or community members are welcome to collaborate with us. If you are passionate about making a difference in the community, contact us at socialinnovation@uky.edu.

Yes! The Social Innovation team guides social innovations through the entire innovation lifecycle. We leverage the full suite of resources through UK Innovate and the broader ecosystem to guide you through business development, IP protection, funding strategies, and connect you to resources that will move your innovation forward.

We offer support at every stage, from idea to impact. The UK Innovate team provides guidance on intellectual property, business development, funding strategies, ecosystem connections, and much more to advance translational research to effectuate impact.

Successful social innovation projects have included apps, programs, trainings, workshops, curriculum, regenerative farming, comic books, games, clothing lines, and so much more. But it’s not just about what you create, it's about how you create it. Explore a few examples here: https://www.launchblue.org/tech-showcase

We would love to hear from you! Email us at socialinnovation@uky.edu to start a conversation. Let’s explore how we can support your work.

About Social Innovation

About