The Social Innovations Forum held for the 11th time
Belgrade, September 25, 2025 – Social entrepreneurship and impact investing are vital not only for economic resilience but also for social inclusion, sustainability, and regional cooperation, as highlighted at the 11th Social Innovations Forum (SIF), organized by Smart Kolektiv and held today in Belgrade. The conference brought together leading voices from Serbia, the Western Balkans and Europe to explore how social entrepreneurship and impact investing can accelerate inclusive growth and sustainable development in the region.
More than 100 participants, including representatives of the EU Delegation to Serbia, international financial institutions, corporations, social enterprises, civil society, media and academia, participated in a full-day program of panel discussions, networking and the presentation of new research on corporate support for social enterprises.
Opening the Forum, Matthieu Penot, Programme Manager at the Delegation of the EU to Serbia, emphasized the EU’s strong commitment to advancing social entrepreneurship and supporting impact-driven businesses in the Western Balkans, stating: “Social entrepreneurship offers practical solutions to social inclusion and environmental challenges. The EU is supporting the development of a conducive social entrepreneurship ecosystem in Serbia, which will improve the lives of underprivileged groups and strengthen local economies. Across the EU, an increasing number of successful social enterprises are demonstrating how business can drive positive societal impact. With the right incentives and support, social entrepreneurship has the potential to gain momentum and create meaningful change in Serbia as well.”
Neven Marinović, Director of Smart Kolektiv, emphasized: “There’s growing interest from donors, investors and the corporate sector in social entrepreneurship, but impact investing is still not a common practice. This is why the new EU-funded Invest for Change project that we implement in partnership with Impact Europe comes at the right time to build understanding, connect actors, and create the conditions for impact investing to take root in Serbia and the Western Balkans.”
Jelena Savanović, Manager of SIDRO Foundation, added:” We are at a crossroads – traditional financing models alone cannot address today’s complex social challenges. This is where philanthropy steps in — ready to take on the risks that commercial capital avoids, to back social innovations in their earliest stages, and to show that profitability and social impact can indeed go hand in hand.”
The Forum addressed the most pressing aspects of the social economy through four panels covering national and EU perspectives on social entrepreneurship, the future of impact investing in the Western Balkans, corporate engagement strategies, and practical challenges facing social entrepreneurs. Impact Europe shared good practices from other regions, while discussions highlighted successful partnerships between companies and social enterprises. During the forum, the best corporate practices were recognized through an awards ceremony.
The 2025 Social Innovations Forum is part of the Invest for Change project, implemented by Impact Europe with the support of the European Union, in partnership with Smart Kolektiv and other Western Balkans partners. The Forum is traditionally organized in cooperation with the Business Leaders Forum, and this year also with the support of the Sidro Foundation.
