This is most visible in Rotterdam Zuid. Social, economic and physical problems accumulate there. The persistent nature of these problems is the reason why the Dutch State, the municipality and partners from education and business will be working together in the next 20 years on the National Programme for Rotterdam Zuid (NPRZ). NPRZ is not just an investment programme. Its task in Zuid is to develop solutions in conjunction with the people who work on the ground in Rotterdam Zuid.
By setting up the Expertise Centre for Social Innovation (EMI), Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences is seeking collaboration with social themes in Zuid. The expertise centre is working on solving complex social issues - 'wicked problems' - relating to housing, work, healthcare & welfare and education.
EMI works through interaction, contact, innovation, learning by doing and sharing knowledge. It will provide Zuid with new knowledge and expertise and the University with sustainable educational innovation. It offers students a self-assured entry onto the labour market. Each of the themes has a programme and each programme consists of a number of Communities of Practice (CoPs): collaborative partnerships between education, research and the field of activity.
Centre of Expertise Social Innovation
Rotterdam is a city in which the composition of the population has changed dramatically in the space of a few decades. Not only that, a large proportion of that population is socially and economically disadvantaged compared to the rest of the Netherlands and the other major cities.
