Research - 01.10.2025 - 19:12
From September 3–5, 2025, Lia Krebs and Dino Darmonski from the Center for Leadership and Innovation in Society (CLIS-HSG) participated in the 17th International Social Innovation Research Conference (ISIRC) in Calgary, Canada. The conference brought together scholars, practitioners, and policymakers from around the world to discuss the latest developments in social innovation research and practice.
Both researchers presented ongoing work from their doctoral projects, contributing to the broader conversation about how social innovation processes can be understood, designed, and critically examined.
Lia Krebs presented her research on corporate social innovation along global value chains. Her presentation explored how multinational companies initiate cross-sector innovation projects to address human rights challenges in their supply chains, with a particular focus on the stakeholder dynamics that shape the early stages of such initiatives — including questions of trust, legitimacy, role alignment, and knowledge exchange between internal and external actors.
Dino Darmonski presented work on digital participation platforms in subnational climate governance. Drawing on a case study of a municipal climate participation program in Zurich, his presentation examined how digital platforms are introduced as tools for citizen engagement but encounter institutional resistance — opening a critical dialogue about the potentials and limitations of digital participation in climate policy.
We are particularly proud that Lia Krebs was awarded the Best Oral Presentation Award at ISIRC 2025 — a wonderful recognition of her rigorous and compelling research.
The ISIRC remains an important venue for our research community. We value being part of this network of scholars and practitioners who are advancing the understanding of social innovation across disciplines and contexts, and we look forward to continuing these conversations at future editions of the conference.
