MASTER INNOVATION FOR DEVELOPMENT

MASTER IN SOCIAL INNOVATION

FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
1 NOVEMBER 2024 – 31 OCTOBER 2025
TURIN, ITALY
MASTER IN SOCIAL INNOVATION
FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
SUPPORTING A SOCIO-ECOLOGICAL TRANSITION FOR SUSTAINABLE SOCIETIES

OVERVIEW
SNAPSHOT OF THE MASTER

With a global faculty and participants, the master will challenge your current beliefs and
notions of social innovation with a view to developing a new understanding of its principles
and tools. Global development trends show that social exclusion, youth unemployment,
migration, climate change, ageing society are escalating. By recognizing how social
innovation goes beyond technology and current beliefs, you will explore the implication of
different models.
The Master duration is 1 year with only 9 weeks of face-to-face learning activities taking
place in Turin, Italy. This makes the programme accessible and affordable for working
practitioners and students coming from all over the world.

CONTENTS AND OBJECTIVES

PLACE
TURIN, ITALY W H AT T O P I C S D O E S T H I S M A S T E R C O V E R ?
The Master prepares students to become leaders in sustainable social innovation endeavors.
• Innovation for sustainable development
• New skills, productive employment and decent work
DATES
1 NOVEMBER 2024– • Leadership, collective intelligence, and creativity
31 OCTOBER 2025 • Public policy, social business, finance, and impact evaluation

W H AT W I L L I L E A R N ?
Participants will acquire tools and techniques to anticipate change and respond to
complex situations in their respective relevant fields.
COLLABORATIVE LEARNING • A crucial role for social innovators and entrepreneurs in the implementation of the
ONLINE RESOURCES 2030 SDGs is expected in the medium term.
• Government agencies are encouraged to seek out “the best social innovations” in their
programmes.
• Entrepreneurs of tomorrow are requested to use their new models to achieve results
LANGUAGES
and scale their services, including public-private partnerships.
ENGLISH
W H AT W I L L I B E A B L E T O D O ?
Students learn how to design the social development policies and principles of the future.
• Design responsive solutions that fit the 2030 Agenda framework

APPLICATION DEADLINE • Foster collaborative networks and spark public action

20 SEPTEMBER 2024 • Analyse the impact of social innovation projects.
PARTICIPANTS’ PROFILE INNOVATIVE METHODOLOGY
Enjoy experiential
W H O AT T E N D S T H I S M A S T E R ? learning and real case
studies
The Master is intended for:
• Officials and/or professionals working in the public and private sectors, UN Agencies,
foundations and NGOs; STIMULATING DISCUSSION
• Recent university graduates from developing and developed countries; Exchange ideas and
knowledge with an
• People working or interested in social innovation and social entrepreneurship and
related research; international faculty

• Members of cooperatives.
The essential requirements for admission are a university degree (minimum three years) HIGH-LEVEL RESOURCES
and fluency in English. Learn from renowed
professors from
the ILO, Università
METHODOLOGY di Torino and
other International
The Master merges theoretical and practical learning methodologies that are designed Organizations
to engage and motivate students. This Master draws from the ITCILO’s training portfolio,
the ILO, UN-related agencies, and international organizations, the Università di Torino’s
academic expertise and leading international research centres and universities.
Students interact with their environment through a hands-on learning approach, which
includes case studies, workshops, and group exercises. Each student develops a unique
final project.

FACULTY
In line with the training approach of the Turin School of Development, during the
Master course, participants will have the opportunity to interact with and learn from
an international faculty. Resource persons are selected based on their professional
experience and subject matter expertise. They consist of:
• Experts from the ILO and the ITCILO;
• Officials from the UN system and other international organizations;
• Practitioners of the subject matter;
• Academia and leading researchers from international universities..

DEGREE
The Master is delivered as a First level Master’s Degree by the University of Turin
(60 ECTS) according to the Italian Qualifications Framework. The Master’s degree will
be awarded to the participants who fulfill the following conditions:
• Administrative requirements and documents requested by the University of Turin;
• Successful passing of all exams demonstrating the level of competence required;
• Submissions of the final project within the set deadline and quality requirements.

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OR VISIT
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STRUCTURE AND CONTENT
This one-year Master’s programme is intensive by design. It combines three phases: a distance learning component,
a face-to-face component, and home-based research.

1 November 2024 to 4 April 2025:

D I S TA N C E L E A R N I N G S U P P O RT E D B Y A T U T O R I N G S E RV I C E
Students learn and practice through an online platform and live webinars.

MODULE 1: Social innovation, societal challenges and new skills

At the end of the Module, students will be able to:
• explore the diverse set of skills to effectively address complex social challenges and drive positive change
• explore and understand social innovation concepts
• navigate the intersection of social challenges and social innovation
• examine the role of social innovators from across sectors as agents of change
• understand how social innovation can address societal challenges while nurturing vital skills for the evolving landscape
of social change
• delve into the key elements of project design

MODULE 2: Social innovation for productive employment and decent work

At the end of the Module, students will be able to:
• analyse the challenges in promoting productive employment and decent jobs
• explore the intersection between social innovation and the creation of decent jobs
• understand how social innovators can influence productive employment by fostering new competencies, opening up
new markets, and ultimately leading to the emergence of new job opportunities

MODULE 3: Social Innovation policies and tools & the contribution to the SDGs
At the end of the Module, students will be able to:
• better analyse the key drivers of change and social transformations in their respective community context
• apply in depth knowledge on key objectives of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda
• identify and implement social innovation actions in the relevant fields
• examine how social innovation strategies can target and tackle pivotal global challenges
• manage social innovation collaborative processes
• single out successful social innovation mechanisms and transfer them into different contexts
MODULE 4: From Public Policies to Social Business: Crafting a Social Innovation Plan
At the end of the Module, students will be able to:
• explore the social innovators’ role across sectors
• examine how policies shape social issues and build a social economy ecosystem
• better analyse the key dimensions of social business and their differences with ordinary business
• craft and apply social innovations models to the achievement of SDGs in different contexts and scales
• identify and implement social innovation actions in the relevant fields
• identify unconventional management models to social innovation and collaborative processes
• single out organizational hybrids and applying them to manage
• develop a coherent strategy for ensuring adequate scaling up of their social innovation projects and engage the most
relevant stakeholders (PPP)

7 April to 6 June 2025:

FA C E - T O - FA C E P H A S E AT T H E I T C I L O C A M P U S I N T U R I N

MODULE 5: The importance of measuring impact results

At the end of the module students will be able to:
• explore the methodologies and tools for monitoring and evaluating the impact of social innovation on both ecological
and societal aspects
• understand the the principles of environmental impact assessment in the context of social innovation
• understand the principles of social impact evaluation in the context of social innovation
• define the most appropriate methodologies and indicators for monitoring and evaluating the eco-social impact of their
social innovation ideas

Module 6: Synergising Social Impact Finance and Sustainable Social Innovation

At the end of the module, students will be able to:
• describe the key aspects of the social impact finance
• better understand the key elements for accessing to social impact finance for development and growth
• select different fields of application of the Social Impact finance
• apply social impact finance models to the achievement of SDGs in different contexts and scales.
• single out the most apt social impact finance tool to manage social innovation actions and ensure their sustainability
over time

9 June 2025 to 31 October 2025:

HOME-BASED RESEARCH FOR THESIS/PROJECT WORK
Through home-based research, students complete an original project work related to a specific environmental and/or
social challenge. The project should be testable at the country or community level. Tutors and professors will provide
guidance.
HOW TO APPLY
Applications should be made through the following link: https://oarf2.itcilo.org/MSTF/A9717065/en.
Deadline for the first round of applications: 29 March 2024.
Deadline for the second round of applications 24 June 2024.
Deadline for the third round of applications 20 September 2024.

TUITION FEES
The tuition fee is Euro 9,400. The fee includes:
• Programme development and management;
• teaching equipment, training materials and documentation; and
• use of training facilities and support services.
Board, lodging, travel expenses, transports and personal expenses for the period in Turin are not included in the cost of
participation.

PARTIAL SCHOLARSHIPS
A limited number of partial scholarships is available, on a competitive basis, for students from developing countries.
Participants, who wish to apply for a partial scholarship, are required to specify it on the application form.
The selection criteria for the award of partial scholarships will include academic and professional qualifications,
organization, country of origin and gender balance.

MINIMUM ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

• A Bachelor’s degree of minimum three years’ duration;

• Good working knowledge of spoken and written English;
• Good internet connection.
The validity of non-Italian degrees must be recognized under Italian law and regulations.
More information available at the link: https://www.itcilo.org/turin-school-of-development/admission
(refer to “Recognition of foreign degrees”)

PAYMENT, CANCELLATION AND REFUND POLICY

The ITCILO’s payment, cancellation and refund policy can be consulted on the following website:
www.itcilo.org/turin-school-of-development/admission
CAMPUS LIFE
A T H R I V I N G U N I T E D N AT I O N S C A M P U S A N D HOUSING, DINING, AND MORE
COMMUNITY OF PROFESSIONAL PEOPLE
Comprising more than 280 private dormitories, the
FROM AROUND THE WORLD
Turin Campus provides a broad range of services for
• Three organizations from the United Nations system course participants and partners including a free-flow
on campus restaurant, travel agency, laundromat, post office, gym,
medical services and a reception desk open 24/7.
• More than 300 training courses and activities in a
stimulating international environment
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND DIVERSITY
• Thousands of participants from all over the world Participants can enjoy social events organized by the
Turin Centre as well as by their course facilitators.
ENVIRONMENT AND SURROUNDINGS
Whether on or off campus, people from different cultural
Grab a campus bicycle and explore the Turin Centre. backgrounds have the opportunity to listen to live music
Located in a leafy park on the banks of the Po River, together, cook and share traditional foods, or team up to
it’s a great place for study and collaboration. Experience play games and network.
innovative learning and training methods in modern
classrooms equipped with simultaneous translation
services.

INFO
International Training Centre of the ILO
Turin School of Development
Viale Maestri del Lavoro, 10
10127 Turin – Italy
phone: +39 011 693 6888
e-mail: [email protected]

Copyright © International Training Centre of the International Labour Organization, 2024. All rights reserved. Cover image © Unsplash/Paula Prekopova