The Swiss–Estonian Cooperation Programme Brings Exciting Hackathons and New Opportunities to Explore Social Innovation in 2026

Have you ever wondered how to solve major challenges in your community — for example, how to help newcomers integrate more smoothly or how to make environments more accessible for everyone? The year 2026 is dedicated to exactly these kinds of smart solutions, known as social innovation.

For the team behind the Swiss–Estonian Cooperation Programme activity “Strengthening Civil Society through the Promotion of Social Innovation,” 2026 will be an exceptionally active year. While 2025 was largely a preparation phase — setting plans and developing the necessary documentation — 2026 is the time to bring these ideas to life.

Hackathons and incubators: from idea to real solution

The first social innovation hackathon will take place at the very beginning of the year. It is an intensive team-based format where, with the support of mentors, participants develop new and impactful solutions to societal challenges. This will be followed by an incubation programme running until the end of the year, helping the best ideas evolve into fully functioning solutions.

At the start of the year, KÜSK will also launch a public procurement to find a partner to provide advisory services focused on developing products and services with social impact.

In addition, KÜSK opened a public call in early January to design and deliver two training programmes. These programmes are primarily aimed at NGO and entrepreneurship consultants working in County Development Centres, with the goal of strengthening their capacity to apply and share knowledge on social innovation in their daily advisory work.

“All these activities are interconnected, supporting the development of socially impactful ideas at different stages — from early concept to implementation. Launching these activities is exciting, but for us the most important task will be to assess results and impact: to understand how and to what extent these activities contribute to achieving social impact, and what we can learn from them. In other words, it will be an exciting year where we can help plant the seeds of impact and already see the first shoots emerging. And of course, we can do all of this thanks to strong cooperation with our partners — we are very much looking forward to working together in the coming year,” said Sandra Paulus, Coordinator of Activities.

Study trips in Estonia and across Europe

In April 2026, a study trip to Switzerland will take place to explore innovative approaches to citizen engagement and to learn about national funding mechanisms. In the third quarter, another study visit within Europe will be organised, bringing together experts from the public, NGO, and business sectors. At the end of the year, a workshop in Estonia will share Nordic experiences in supporting the integration of newcomers.

Opportunities to learn are also available within Estonia: two study visits to different regions will take place during the year, offering insight into inspiring local initiatives. In addition, various networking events will be organised both online and in person.

“The first study visit will take place at the end of March in Ida-Virumaa — incredible work is being done there across many different fields. So be ready if you didn’t get a spot on the first trip. And our social innovation network events are already starting in January — there is room for everyone interested. We will share inspiring content and also help participants exchange knowledge among themselves,” commented Elmo Puidet, Coordinator of Activities.

Social innovation on your screen and in your headphones

To ensure the topic reaches a wide audience, significant effort will be put into content creation in 2026. In the first half of the year, a public procurement will be announced for the production of a television series, and six full-length podcast episodes will be recorded throughout the year. In addition, short videos and behind-the-scenes insights into social innovation will be shared across various social media channels.

Practical materials for developing ideas

To ensure that social innovation does not remain just a buzzword, several practical resources will be developed in 2026, offering both inspiration and concrete tools for idea development. Within the Swiss–Estonian Cooperation Programme, the following materials will be created: an e-learning programme on social innovation and social entrepreneurship, a database of best practices, and a handbook.

“As part of this activity, we also consider both national and international cooperation essential — to stay up to date with developments in the field, to take into account what is happening within networks when implementing programme activities, and to ensure that we ourselves remain visible so that our activities, events, and materials reach users in the most effective way,” commented the project manager for social innovation activities under the Swiss–Estonian Cooperation Programme measure “Social Inclusion Support.”

All activities are coordinated by the National Foundation of Civil Society.
The programme is co-financed by Switzerland to reduce economic and social disparities within the European Union.