The vision of social transformation bridging the local to the global converged at the Social Sciences University of Ankara (ASBÜ). During the multi-stakeholder meeting, the role of social innovation in local governments was thoroughly addressed. With the establishment of the Ankara Social Innovation Agency, a new era has been initiated in this field.

The Social Innovation Research Center (ASBÜ-SİM), operating under the Social Sciences University of Ankara, hosted a significant gathering featuring broad participation across local administrations, academia, civil society, and the private sector. Organized under the title “Stakeholder Meeting on Social Innovation and Social Impact Assessment in Local Governments,” the program featured expert presentations, field experiences, and future-oriented collaboration models. With its multi-stakeholder structure, the meeting served as a collective intelligence workshop.

In his address, Governor of Ankara Vasip Şahin emphasized that strengthening social innovation at the local level is vital for building fairer and more livable cities. ASBÜ Rector Musa Kazım Arıcan drew attention to the multi-layered structure of social challenges, evaluating the pivotal role of social innovation in addressing them.

During the thematic presentations segment, social innovation and social impact assessment were analyzed from multiple dimensions. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Duhan Kalkan, Secretary General of the Ankara Development Agency, highlighted the role of social entrepreneurship in local development. ASBÜ faculty member Çetin Önder stated that social impact assessment is of critical importance regarding transparency, accountability, and the efficient use of public resources. Among the speakers, Serkan Yorgancılar shared insights on the role of youth and sports policies in local governance, while Ali Güney presented implementation examples from Konya. Additionally, Halil Ecer delivered a comprehensive presentation outlining the vision and strategic plan of the Ankara Social Innovation Agency.

Field experiences were actively shared. In the panel sessions held during the afternoon, the relationship between social entrepreneurship and local development was examined through real-world cases. In the panel titled “Voices from the Field: Implementation and Sustainability in Social Entrepreneurship,” moderated under the coordination of the Ankara Development Agency, Impact Hub representative Zeynep Eliş, Mehmet Can İrhan (RE-DI), and Aykut Hocaoğlu (ODİ) discussed the challenges faced by social enterprises, sustainability models, and the processes of generating public benefit.