According to the OECD "Social Innovation refers to the design and implementation of new solutions that imply conceptual, process, product, or organisational change, which ultimately aim to improve the welfare and wellbeing of individuals and communities”.

The International Conference Learning and implementing social innovation – Talking about SHAFE took place in Coimbra, on the 8-9 November 2022, co-organised by Coimbra Nursing School with SHINE 2Europe, AFEdemy and the COST Action NET4Age-Friendly. It expanded knowledge and information about socially innovative networks and projects, giving visibility to the participating initiatives, facilitating their interconnection and strengthening the community of social innovators in the field.

This 2-day event included the International Conference and a Working Group 2 meeting of the COST Action NET4Age-Friendly (CA 19136), plus several project-related workshops and discussions on smart healthy age-friendly environments. It also hosted the multiplier events of the Erasmus+ projects STEP_UP, DESIRE, BIG and Hands-on-SHAFE. The consortiums of the projects SIRENE (Horizon Europe coordinated by SHINE), BIG (Erasmus+ coordinated by AFEdemy) and SAVE (Erasmus+) also joined this mega gathering and hosted transnational project meetings on the 7th, 9th and 10th, back-to-back with this vibrant event and community.