The SIMPLE project has concluded Work Package 2 (WP2), laying the foundation for a scalable and transferable model to support the labour market integration and social inclusion of Ukrainian refugees across Europe.
As part of WP2, the consortium conducted a comprehensive mapping of over 80 social innovation initiatives across Europe. The selection included projects supported by EU programmes – such as EaSI, Urban Innovative Actions (UIA), Erasmus+, and Interreg – as well as national and regional initiatives from partner countries. This mapping aimed to identify both inspiring practices and systemic challenges in the fields of integration, employment, and inclusion.
The complete repository of mapped initiatives is accessible here:
https://simpleinnovation.eu/repository.php?lang=EN
From this broader repository, the consortium extracted 13 best practices that were particularly well-documented, impactful, and aligned with the SIMPLE project’s objectives. These are analysed in depth in another key project deliverable: The Social Innovation Compendium, available at: https://simpleinnovation.eu/assessment.php?lang=EN
Among the 13, three model initiatives were selected as the primary inspiration for the development of SIMPLE’s Theory of Change:
- BSI_4Women (Interreg Baltic Sea Region) – focused on entrepreneurship and economic integration for Ukrainian refugee women.
- SIREE (Interreg 2Seas) – based on a co-creation model engaging schools, families, and communities to support refugee integration.
- MiFriendlyCities (Urban Innovative Actions) – emphasising employer engagement and the creation of inclusive employment ecosystems.
The Theory of Change, available on the project website, outlines how the SIMPLE model is expected to generate meaningful and sustainable impact. Drawing on selected elements of the three model initiatives, it proposes an adaptable, modular approach that can be tailored to diverse national and local contexts. This Theory of Change will serve as the foundation for the stakeholders’ engagement activities to be performed in all partner countries under WP3 and pilot actions to be carried out in Poland and Italy under WP4. In these two countries, partners will:
- Design and deliver targeted interventions for Ukrainian refugees, inspired by the selected model initiatives
- Engage relevant stakeholders (e.g. employers, training providers, community organisations, public authorities) to test co-designed solutions and build supportive local ecosystems
- Apply the SIMPLE model in real contexts, testing its feasibility, relevance, and adaptability
- Collect feedback and monitor outcomes, to evaluate the model’s effectiveness and inform future refinement and scaling.
In Poland, the focus will be on employment activation, while in Italy, activities will revolve around empowerment and entrepreneurship pathways. Both pilots will be closely monitored to assess short-term and longer-term changes in participants’ inclusion and integration trajectories.
SIMPLE is co-funded by the European Union under the ESF+ programme. The project brings together partners from Italy, Poland, Spain, Belgium, Croatia, and Hungary to co-design, pilot, and promote sustainable models for inclusion, employment, and community empowerment.
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Contact: simple.euproject@gmail.com
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Social Fund Agency. Neither the European Union nor the Granting Authority can be held responsible for them.
