State support for innovation in the social sphere in Russia and the countries of the European Union

Abstract

If until the 90s. innovation policy was focused solely on the activities of enterprises in the real sector of the economy, and economic and social problems were not considered in their interconnection and interdependence, then with the advent of the 21st century the situation has changed dramatically. The increasing contribution of health care, education, social security to the gross domestic product, job creation has made it possible to consider them as a sphere of origin and application of innovations. It has been established that in conditions of a high load on the budget system of the country, social innovations can play a significant role in the development of society, influencing the saving of government spending on the social sphere while improving the quality of life of citizens. The purpose of the article was to identify the features of supporting innovative activities in the social sphere at the state level in the Russian Federation and the European Union. The study revealed the content of the activities of key organizations that are focused on the development of social innovations: in the Russian Federation – the Agency for Strategic Initiatives, the Social Projects Support Fund, innovation centers in the social sphere in the regions of the country, in the European Union – the Commission on Social Innovations and the Innovation Union . The key features of the activities of these organizations are identified in terms of support and replication of social innovation. Based on the study, it was found that in Russia, the ecosystem for supporting innovation in the social sphere is less stable and structured, but is dynamically developing in terms of its individual components. In the European Union, the system for supporting social innovation is much more established, many of its elements are highly developed (in particular, evaluating the effectiveness of social innovation).