On November 18th, the Assembly of the 330 partners of Torino Social Impact was held, open to all citizens, organizations, and entities interested in the topics of the economy and social impact.
350 people attended the meeting, which provided a valuable opportunity for dialogue with experts and prominent national figures, focusing on the exchange of five impactful projects for the city and an extensive session dedicated to collaborative activities and peer learning. Torino Social Impact was founded in November 2017 through an initiative by the Turin Chamber of Commerce, which, with the support of the Committee for Social Entrepreneurship and the Compagnia di San Paolo Foundation, officially launched the platform aimed at strengthening the local system and qualifying it as one of the best places in the world for entrepreneurship and finance, while pursuing economic profitability and social impact objectives.
After opening remarks by Cristopher Cepernich, Vice-Rector of the University of Turin, Guido Bolatto, Secretary General of the Turin Chamber of Commerce, Carlotta Salerno, City of Turin’s Councillor for Education, School Buildings, Youth, Suburbs, and Urban Regeneration, Sonia Cambursano, Delegate Councillor of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and Paolo Mulassano, Head of Impact Innovation at the Compagnia di San Paolo Foundation, Mario Calderini from the Polytechnic University of Milan and spokesperson for Torino Social Impact, the event got underway, designed as an open path to be shared with the large audience on five projects for the city, aimed at a positive impact future. Each project was presented in a panel involving various stakeholders, including the Undersecretary of State Hon. Lucia Albano.
“I congratulate you on today’s initiative and, more generally, on the valuable work you do with the goal of networking projects, activities, skills, and opportunities to find solutions to the social needs of the territory. Beyond the content addressed by your organization, I also share your working method: the desire to network skills to best respond to social needs. This is a method I have applied in the operations of two of my delegations: the enhancement of public real estate and social economy,” said Hon. Lucia Albano.
“Torino Social Impact is increasingly becoming an incubator and accelerator for major systemic projects characterized by high innovation and risk. This Assembly, intentionally open to citizens, organizations, businesses, and entities interested in social economy and impact issues, was an opportunity for dialogue with experts and prominent national figures on five impact projects for the city: from the construction of financial infrastructures for impact, including the Social Impact Exchange, to the enhancement of public heritage for social impact, and various forms of partnerships for social impact, such as social procurement and impact investments for NEET youth. Finally, following the evolution of European and national policies and strategies for the social economy, to which Torino Social Impact has actively contributed in recent years, the drafting of the Metropolitan Plan for Social Economy was discussed,” said Mario Calderini.
The 5 Impact Projects for the City
- Building Financial Infrastructures for Impact: The Social Impact Exchange
Laura Cosa, project manager for the Social Impact Exchange
Guido Romano, Head of Impact Monitoring and Analysis at Cassa Depositi e PrestitiThis project aims to create a capital market dedicated to businesses that intentionally, additively, and measurably create positive social impact. The idea for the Social Impact Exchange began with a feasibility study in 2019, and in 2021, the Promoting Committee was formed. Between 2022 and 2023, a simulated listing with 8 Italian companies and 100 professionals was conducted. Today, thanks to a partnership with the financial partner Vorvel SIM S.p.A., the next step is being taken to create this new capital market for impact enterprises. An exploration phase has begun, focusing on the specific operational rules, particularly the impact dimension. - Designing the City by Enhancing Public Heritage for Social Impact: The Experimentation by the City of Turin
Marella Caramazza, CeVIS Strategic Directorate, Board Member at Cottino Social Impact Campus and Istud Business School
Paolo Mazzoleni, City of Turin Councillor for Urban PlanningThis project aims to develop an impact measurement model for the enhancement of real estate and urban regeneration in the City of Turin. The goal is to create a method that would allow discounts for those who want to purchase properties for social value projects. The city faces the problem of unsold properties while needing to address social challenges. After a preliminary analysis and review of public finance constraints, the impact calculation and discount definition phase are underway. The project is expected to launch in 2025 after the testing and modeling phase is completed. - Partnerships for Impact: Social Procurement
Raffaella Scalisi, advisor for Torino Social Impact
Marco Piccolo, Vice President of Small Industry with a focus on Sustainability
Irene Bongiovanni, Vice President of the Social Entrepreneurship Committee, Turin Chamber of CommerceSocial procurement is the practice of choosing suppliers with social impact for public or private organizations’ supply chains. This initiative encourages innovative supply forms in both public and private sectors to support the growth of impact-driven businesses. Torino Social Impact has focused on private sector potential, and after conducting a survey on companies’ interest in social purchasing, launched a capacity-building program with the European Commission’s funding and collaboration with Unione Industriali. This program includes the “All Included” communication campaign, promoting businesses with social impact. - Outcome-Based Partnerships: An Impact Fund for NEETs in Piedmont
Gianluca Gaggiotti, co-founder of IMPACTips
Marco Romei, Deputy Chief Innovation Officer at Banca SellaThis outcome fund project aims to build a public-private financial mechanism to address the NEET issue. The European TOUCH project, approved by the Employment and Social Innovation (EaSI) component of the European Social Fund Plus (FSE+), will define the mechanism that enables third-sector entities and social enterprises to apply for funds to achieve their impact goals. Starting with pilot experiments in Piedmont, this model will be shared nationally. - The Evolution of European and National Strategies for the Social Economy: The Metropolitan Plan for Turin
Simona De Giorgio, Social Entrepreneurship Committee Coordinator, Turin Chamber of Commerce
Sonia Cambursano, Delegate Councillor of the Metropolitan City of Turin
Hon. Lucia Albano, Undersecretary of State at the Ministry of Economy and FinanceThe Turin Chamber of Commerce and the Metropolitan City signed an agreement in July to develop a Metropolitan Plan for the social economy. This initiative builds on EU documents that recognize the social enterprise role in welfare, redistribution, and economic development, framing social and impact economy within industrial policies for more equitable and inclusive growth. The Metropolitan Plan is aligned with ongoing work at the Ministry of Economy and Finance and will focus on promoting access to the labor market and social inclusion through social economy practices. The plan is expected to be completed by early 2025.
Stakeholder meeting: communities of practice, HUB European Projects for social economy, and peer learning tools
At the end of the event, a session dedicated to Communities of Practice and peer learning tools took place, with thematic working groups initiated by several partners. The goal of the Torino Social Impact platform is to enable the involvement of partners in collaborative efforts on shared issues and emerging projects. Currently active Communities of Practice include: Benefit Corporations, Circular Economy, Gender Equality, OP4Impact (Professional Orders for Impact), and NEET.
A key support initiative for the partnership is the HUB for European Projects in the Social Economy. Launched in 2023 with the support of the Turin Chamber of Commerce and the Compagnia di San Paolo Foundation, and co-designed with Weco Impresa Sociale, this HUB aims to enhance the ecosystem’s skills in European project management and capture financial opportunities from the EU on social impact. On November 15, five entities signed an agreement to strengthen this initiative: the Turin Chamber of Commerce, the City of Turin, the Metropolitan City of Turin, the University of Turin, and the Polytechnic University of Turin.
Finally, the Firstlife project was presented: a collaborative platform and social network for communities, developed by the Digital Territories and Communities Group of the Department of Computer Science at the University of Turin, co-designed with citizens and local institutions. Through Firstlife, Torino Social Impact will soon launch a mapping of the ecosystem, aimed at discovering opportunities, creating new networking connections, and geolocating partners promoting social impact in the territory.
