From 15-16 October 2026, the SIMF project, funded by the European Commission (EC) through the Horizon Europe Programme, kicked off the first edition of its Social Investment Lab series in Lisbon, Portugal.

Coordinated by EdelGive/SIX, and hosted by Portugal Social Innovation, the Lab brought together a carefully curated group of experts from investment, impact investing, philanthropy, policymaking, academia, business and social innovation for two intensive days of exchange and co-creation on 15–16 October 2026.

Our shared question: How can we better mobilise financing for social innovations that contribute to the objectives of the EU Missions?

🔎 Day 1: Understanding the landscape

We explored different perspectives on mission-oriented social innovation financing, shared examples of what is already working and identified persistent barriers that prevent promising initiatives from accessing the resources they need.

💡 Day 2: Moving from challenges to solutions

Participants applied their insights to specific Mission-related cases, explored potential financing structures and identified opportunities to align the values and interests of investors, philanthropists, policymakers and social innovators.

✨ Three takeaways we brought home from Lisbon:

1. It is not just about finding more capital — it is about mobilising what already exists. Connecting different sources of finance and aligning their objectives can help capital reach mission-oriented social innovations.

2. Bridging different languages and rationales is essential. Translating between societal impact and financial sustainability can help align interests and unlock new opportunities.

3. Bringing the right people together makes a difference. Working in person on concrete cases with stakeholders who share a commitment to social impact created space for fresh ideas, new connections and potential collaborations.

Even as the future of the EU Missions in their current form evolves, the societal challenges they seek to address remain. Finding effective ways to finance the social innovations tackling these challenges is therefore as important as ever.

🙏 A special thank you to EdelGive/SIX for coordinating the Lab, to Wolfgang Haider (SI Mission Facility), SIMF Coordinator, to Portugal Social Innovation, and to all participants who brought their expertise, experience and energy to the discussions.

We look forward to building on these insights and taking the conversations forward.