In brief

The Centre for Research on Social Innovations (CRISES) is a strategic cluster of the Fonds de recherche du Québec - Société et culture (FRQSC) that brings together some 100 researchers whose work focuses on social innovations and transformations. The Centre's current scientific programming more specifically targets the contribution of social innovations to social and environmental justice in the following four areas: social policies and practices, territories and living environments, social and collective organizations, and work and employment.

The strength of a diverse and plural network

Founded in Quebec in 1986, CRISES was a precursor to research on social innovations. Today, it is one of the main French-speaking research networks in this field.The Centre brings together 50 regular members from 12 institutions : Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM), Université du Québec en Outaouais (UQO), Université Laval, Université de Sherbrooke, Université Concordia, HEC Montréal, Université de Montréal, Université du Québec à Chicoutimi (UQAC), Université du Québec à Rimouski (UQAR), Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue (UQAT), Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (UQTR) and Université TÉLUQ. It also relies on the participation and contribution of some 60 associate members from Quebec and outside the province.

CRISES has also been a pioneer in collaborative or partnership. Today more than ever, it pursues this approach of co-construction of knowledge through the co-production of practices and policies.

Finally, CRISES is resolutely interdisciplinary. Member’s interests and disciplinary attachments are wide-ranging: Political Science, Sociology, Political Economy, Geography, Social Work, Communication, Women’s Studies, Environmental Studies, Urban Studies, Industrial Relations, Management Studies and many others. Beyond the diversity of their intellectual and political points of view, members of CRISES are united by their interest and commitment to social change and social justice.

A strong conception of social innovation

CRISES defines social innovation as new social, organizational or institutional arrangements, or new products or services with an explicit social purpose resulting, voluntarily or involuntarily, from an action initiated by an individual or a group of individuals to respond to an aspiration, meet a need, provide a solution to a problem or take advantage of an opportunity for action in order to change social relations, transform a framework of action or propose new cultural orientations. By finding takers, the social innovations thus initiated can lead to social transformations.

This definition is based on CRISES' strong conception of social innovation, rooted in social relations, attentive to the dynamics of collective action, differentiated appropriations and conflicts. This way of thinking and studying social innovations makes for an original contribution to current debates on the social and ecological transition, which are largely dominated by technocentric approaches.

For more information about CRISES, please visit the website: www.crises.uqam.ca