2019 Asia Pacific Social Innovation Partnership Award Ceremony

The first Asia Pacific Social Innovation Partnership Award ceremony was held in the Kaohsiung Exhibition Center on the evening of May 11, 2019 (Saturday). The event was organized by the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) to encourage social innovation partnerships in the Asia-Pacific region. The first year of its organization, the event attracted 62 applications from 13 countries. Comprised of experts in social innovation coming from 7 countries in Asia-Pacific, the international jury panel chosen 11 entries for three categories, namely, The Biosphere Sustainability Award, The Social Progress Award, The Inclusive Business Award, and also for the Special Jury Prize. The awarded units came from Taiwan, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Vietnam, and Singapore and have focused on issues ranging from sustainable fashion to employment cultivation.

Social innovation is a new way to find effective solutions to social issues via innovative technological and business model applications. The MOEA set up the first international social innovation award in Taiwan to explore diverse social innovation models in Asia-Pacific and to encourage ambitious individuals to contribute to the field. The selected and awarded social innovation partnership cases in Asia-Pacific have brought together stakeholders from diverse backgrounds to create a significant social impact; all cases required the direct practice of the UN Sustainable Development Goals to be the core value of the projects. The award ceremony was jointly held with the Asia Pacific Social Enterprise Summit to create interaction between international organizations that develop corporate social innovation and at the same time, promote investment growth in hopes that Taiwan can become a leader in social innovation solutions.

The winning cases were rich in diversity. The overseas cases included Indonesia's Bandung Creative City Forum, which has built an eco-friendly environment between sustainability and fashion; Singapore's Spic & Span Pte Ltd raise, which promotes the employment of people in vulnerable conditions; Vietnam's mGreem, which develops a point-collection APP for recycling; and the Hong Kong Council of Social Service, the first social enterprise business center in Hong Kong with a long-term trajectory in social enterprise cultivation. All of them flew to Taiwan to attend the ceremony. Many outstanding organizations in Taiwan were also awarded, including Blueseeds, which cooperates with the Garden of Hope Foundation; SENSE, which develops eye-tracking technology; Agoood, which promotes employment of the handicapped through motorized street selling; and Micro PC, which is dedicated to reducing plastics in the ocean. Large corporations were not absent either. Working with the Taipei City Government, E.SUN Bank offered funding through loans. Carrefour promoted free-range eggs in cooperation with the Environment & Animal Society of Taiwan. Both are cases of partnership that have created joint economic, social and environmental prosperity.

As sustainable development has become an unstoppable international trend, governments all over the world (i.e. the European Union, the U.K., the United States of America, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Thailand) have been actively creating an industrial environment that supports development of social innovation enterprises, and highlights industry innovations as well as national sustainability. Taiwan not only takes a stance in this international community, but also builds an ecosystem of social innovation through vigorous promotion of policies and addressing public feedback and local needs. Taiwan aspires to show the world its ambition and capability to solve international issues, and to jointly help create the future of sustainable development.