Community Connections: Open Space for Social Innovation

Join our free event to meet social entrepreneurs, researchers, community leaders tackling social challenges. Share ideas, find partners.

Where imagination meets constraint: how can those involved in social innovation, community wealth building, and systems change in Oxfordshire connect and collaborate to improve outcomes?

The Public and Community Engagement Team at the University of Oxford, in partnership with Equinox, is hosting a free event to explore how social innovation can improve outcomes across the region.

Share ideas, find partners

University researchers, members of Oxfordshire’s voluntary, community and social enterprise sectors, local government and representatives from any business interested in improving their social value are invited to attend this free event.

This is an opportunity to share ideas and insight, make connections, and spark collaborations for meaningful long-term impacts across the county.

What is an Open Space event?

An Open Space is a gathering where attendees shape the agenda. You may be involved in social science research or policy, a social entrepreneur, part of the social impact sector, or a member of the innovation ecosystem looking to increase the social value of your business. Everyone is welcome to bring discussion topics or questions, aligned to the theme of social innovation in Oxfordshire, that you would like to explore with others.

Free to attend

Register for this free event to meet social entrepreneurs, researchers, and community leaders tackling social challenges. Please register so we know how many people to plan and cater for and complete the questions at checkout so we have a sense of who will be in the room.

Travel Advisory 
If you are coming by car, please be aware that Botley Road is closed to vehicles at the rail bridge near Oxford Station; pedestrian access only.

Access to Botley Road is only possible from the west, via the ring road, with no access from the city centre.

Bursary for community members

The event is free of charge. We recognise that participating in an in-person event can incur further expenses and not everyone will have access to funding to cover these costs. Budget is available to support those for whom there may be a financial barrier to attend.

Community Connections with Research Event: Bursary Policy

We are committed to making sure that this event is accessible. The event is free to attend. We recognise that participating in an in-person event can incur further expenses for attendees – and not everyone will have access to funding to cover these costs. We are offering a limited number of bursaries to support the attendance of community members or representatives of community-based organisations.