Abstract:

Social innovators around the world, but specially in emerging countries promote social change. However, in Mexico, only few of them have the competencies to concrete and execute that change. In this scenario, the question that guides this article is: How to enable social innovators with the competencies to create positive social change? To answer this question, we contrast the abilities and knowledge needed by social innovators to propose projects that enable social change in one hand, and the review of training and study programs of different universities, that form agents of change on the other.

This contrast found that social innovators in Jalisco, Mexico, obtain knowledge and abilities mainly by participating in emerging innovation infrastructures finding answers to their knowledge demands. Because they do not find the answers to this knowledge in the actual formal programs offered in the region. In this sense, this article analyses some of the main programs offered on social innovation around the world, to recognize if these gave the answers needed considering global trends.

Keywords:

Social Innovation, social change, social innovation training, social innovators.