International cooperation

Social Outcomes Contracts (Social Impact Bonds, Development Impact Bonds, or Health Impact Bonds as called internationally) has received increased attention as a model to tackle societal and health related challenges in the Nordic countries. Although the design of the social outcomes contract have some common features in the different countries, the level of experience, target area and involved actors differ. Hence, knowledge exchange is a crucial part in the development and optimization of Social Outcomes Contract. In 2017 RISE, together with the Finnish SITRA, initiated the Nordic Network to enable exchange of experiences and knowledge among key stakeholders in the public and the private sector.

The network meets twice a year, rotating between Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden. The agenda consists of both common sessions and sessions where the strategic and operational perspectives are treated respectively. The separate sessions allow for discussions to be focused while the common sessions enable a shared understanding. Specific models and stakeholders involved will vary, but a constant factor is that in the Nordics, the public sector is a key player to drive change and for achieving scale. Thus, the primary target for the network is to influence the way the public sector understands the challenge as well as the possible solutions.

The focus of the network is the Nordics but close cooperation and exchange with the European as well as the global context is envisaged. The network is open for public and private organisations with an active role in developing the field of impact investing in the Nordic countries. The ability and willingness to share learnings, designs and models is an important prerequisite for being a part of the network. The last meeting was held on February 21 in Stockholm, and the next meeting is expected to be held in Copenhagen in October 2019.