SEASIN Project
The South East Asian Social Innovation Network (SEASIN) is a 3-year long project funded by the Education and Cultural Executive Agency of the European Commission, under the Erasmus+ Programme. The core SEASIN partners include eight Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) from Southeast Asia: Royal University of Phnom Penh and National University of Management from Cambodia; Sunway University and Universiti Teknologi Mara from Malaysia; Yangon University of Economics and Cooperative University Thanlyin from Myanmar; and Thammasat University and Kasatsert University from Thailand. There are also three HEIs are from Europe: Glasgrow Caledon University from the United Kingdom; University of Alicante from Spain; and University of Aveiro from Portugal. Yangon University of Economics was participated as a partner in the SEASIN project from October 2016 to September 2019. YUE SISU team was developed as an independent team within the Yangon University of Economics and Department of Management Studies had been given to take the responsibility to carry out the SEASIN project.
Purpose
The purpose of SEASIN was to promote the social innovation awareness, provide knowledge concerning social innovation, encourage the social innovation practices in Myanmar and to expand international cooperation within the region.
YUE SISU raised social innovation awareness and supports social entrepreneurship development through encouraging social innovation practices in business and business education. It conductd research on social issues and supported the development of socially innovative solutions to societal challenges. YUE SISU also facilitated community-based social projects in collaboration with Unit partners from higher education, industry and the social enterprise sector. The Unit was also developed a Master Programme in Social Innovation (Master of Sustainable Entrepreneurship and Social Innovation – MSESIN) which was launched in September 2022.
YUE SISU promoted its work and engaged in projects with external users in a variety of ways, including delivering the Fundamentals of Business programme at local schools. The YUE team also attended external events with SISU Users, such as the Social Innovation Live Asia Research Conference held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 2016, and Bangkok, Thailand during which they participated in round table discussions entitled Social Innovation in Universities and People and System, as well as informally shared the aims and progress of YUE SISU.
YUE SISU invited external speakers and conducted technology week to share their expertise with students and YUE SISU users in 2018. YUE SISU conducted six replications of Impact connect studio with MBA students, teaching staff and stakeholders. Solutions of Public Transportation Payment System and issues of environment, education, social, economics, and health for Socio-Economic Development of Bilu Island, Mon State, Myanmar were discussed and presented. YUE SISU delivered the training on business model to under-graduate students who awarded from Social Innovation Idea Contest at Ywar Thar Gyi Campus of Yangon University of Economics. YUE SISU held Social Business Model Competition at Ywar Thar Gyi Campus of Yangon University of Economics.
One of the significant achievements of YUE-SISU was the launch of the Sustainable Entrepreneurship and Social Innovation Masters Program, collaborating with Eberswalde University of Sustainable Development from Germany.
Other achievements were submission of research papers focusing on social innovation to international and national conferences such as Social Innovation Live Asia Research Conference, Malaysia on 8th October 2018, Myanmar Universities Research Conference (MURC) on 24th May 2019, and 2nd South-East Asian Social Innovation Network Conference, Shaping Futures on 8th October 2019 in Bangkok, Thailand.
YUE SISU will continue to raise awareness of social innovation and social entrepreneurship in Myanmar. The Unit will maintain its focus on education and training, supporting nascent entrepreneurs and business students, and assisting in the development and implementation of the new Masters programme. YUE SISU will also sustain its national and international partnerships with other universities to ensure that knowledge of its activities is widely disseminated.
