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Our Project

The SIMPLE Project (Social Innovation Models to Promote Learning and Employability) aims to identify and scale up best practices in social innovation to enhance the employability and integration of Ukrainian refugees, focusing on educational interventions and vocational training. We strive to empower vulnerable groups, particularly women and older adults, by providing targeted support to enhance their skills and employability. A key component is to promote stakeholder engagement through the quadruple helix model, ensuring active collaboration between academia, industry, government, and civil society.

Discover Our Approach

Our Approach & Training

Project SIMPLE employs a holistic and innovative methodology designed to enhance the employability and integration of Ukrainian refugees, particularly vulnerable groups such as women and older adults. This approach leverages social innovation, education, and the quadruple helix model to achieve its objectives.

Integrated Training Programs

We develop and implement tailored vocational education and training programs focusing on enhancing the skills and employability of Ukrainian refugees. This includes continuous mentoring and coaching.

User-Centered Design

Actively involves Ukrainian refugees and key stakeholders (private sector, public sector, academia, civil society) in co-designing and implementing project activities through workshops and focus groups.

Evidence-Based Approach

Utilizes comprehensive data collection and analysis to identify needs, challenges, and best practices, building on proven successes from previous EU-funded projects.

Collaborative Networks

Establishes strong partnerships with local, national, and international organizations, facilitating resource sharing and knowledge expertise to maximize impact.

Our Community & Impact

Fostering Systemic Change

At SIMPLE, we believe that true integration requires more than isolated efforts – it demands systemic change. By connecting innovation, collaboration and practical solutions, we work to create lasting impact that strengthens communities and opens new opportunities for Ukrainian refugees across Europe.

Meet Our Partners
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Press Releases

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2026-01-20
RIF4UA – Roundtable Discussion and Workshop on the Labour Market Integration of Ukrainian Refugees

We participated in this conference, where researchers, civil society organisations and practitioners exchanged insights on the current situation of Ukrainian refugees in Hungary. On behalf of HETFA Research Institute, our colleague Renata Anna Jaksa took part in the event as an invited speaker and presented the SIMPLE project to the participants, outlining its approach, core logic and emerging lessons. The key findings strongly resonated with our own work. The research results and field-based experiences discussed during the roundtable confirmed that labour market integration cannot be addressed in isolation. Persistent challenges include: language barriers, housing insecurity and discrimination, non-recognition of qualifications, and significant psychosocial burdens, particularly affecting women, people with caregiving responsibilities and the 50+ age group. These factors reinforce each other, while insufficient coordination between support systems remains a structural issue. This is exactly where the SIMPLE project’s approach comes in. SIMPLE does not focus on single, isolated interventions. Instead, it works with: complex, modular employability and learning models, tailored mentoring and entrepreneurship-development elements, and low-threshold, flexible and transferable solutions that can be adapted to different national and local contexts. One of the strongest messages of the RIF4UA event was that what is needed is not more fragmented programmes, but better coordinated, evidence-based interventions. This fully aligns with the SIMPLE approach, which: builds on insights from more than 50 European good practices, applies a shared evaluation framework based on the Theory of Change, and integrates policy learning and transferability already at the pilot stage. Initiatives like RIF4UA reaffirm that sustainable labour market integration can only be achieved through partnerships, shared learning and systemic thinking. For SIMPLE, these exchanges are not only confirmations of direction, but also an important compass for future work.   Photo credit: Terre des Hommes, taken during the event.

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2026-01-08
SIMPLE Project Raises Awareness at Key Local Events in Málaga

The SIMPLE project continues to strengthen its visibility and outreach through active participation in relevant local events aimed at promoting innovation, inclusion, and social engagement. As part of its dissemination activities, the project was presented at two major events held in Málaga (Spain), reaching diverse audiences and reinforcing its commitment to social impact. Opportunity Morning 2025 The SIMPLE project was showcased on October 30th at Opportunity Morning 2025, an event hosted at Mangas Verdes and organised by Asociación Arrabal-AID, which brought together around 800 young people interested in new technologies, artificial intelligence, and dual vocational training. During the event, IT Solutions For All, partner organisation of the SIMPLE project, hosted an information stand where attendees were introduced to the organisation’s mission and activities. Visitors to the stand received detailed information about the SIMPLE project, its objectives, and its role in social innovation. The stand served as a direct point of contact with young participants, encouraging dialogue and raising awareness of the opportunities offered by the project. XXI Málaga Voluntaria Awards Gala The SIMPLE project was also promoted on December 4th, 2025, at the XXI Málaga Voluntaria Awards Gala, an event organised by Málaga City Council to recognise and celebrate volunteering initiatives across the city. Representatives of the project attended the gala and distributed informational leaflets about SIMPLE among attendees. This activity allowed the project to reach a broad audience of institutional representatives, volunteers, and organisations involved in social action, further strengthening its visibility within the local volunteering and social innovation ecosystem. Through its participation in these two events, the SIMPLE project continues to expand its dissemination efforts, engage with key stakeholders, and promote its values of inclusion, collaboration, and refugee empowerment. Learn more about SIMPLE in the project website.

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2026-01-05
SIMPLE participates in Integration, Support and Future Outlook: The Situation of People Fleeing Ukraine in 2025 and Prospects for 2026

On 18 November 2025, we took part in the conference “Integration, Support and Future Outlook: The Situation of People Fleeing Ukraine in 2025 and Prospects for 2026.” Civil society organisations, municipalities, experts and refugee communities came together to reflect on key needs, challenges and effective practices. The event offered a comprehensive overview of the situation of people arriving from Ukraine, the types of support available to them, and the outlook and opportunities for the year ahead. These discussions were especially relevant for us, as through the SIMPLE project we are working to develop innovative, practical solutions that strengthen the social inclusion and employability of Ukrainian refugees across Europe. The project aims to identify and scale proven practices, engage key stakeholders, and co-create new support models that offer real, tangible help to communities. It was inspiring to see how many dedicated professionals are working to ensure that refugees have a genuine chance to build a stable and independent life. Today’s event reaffirmed that local experience and international collaboration reinforce each other — and together, we can achieve meaningful change.

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2025-12-12
SIMPLE concludes Work Package 2 and sets the stage for the next phase of activities

The SIMPLE project has concluded Work Package 2 (WP2), laying the foundation for a scalable and transferable model to support the labour market integration and social inclusion of Ukrainian refugees across Europe. As part of WP2, the consortium conducted a comprehensive mapping of over 80 social innovation initiatives across Europe. The selection included projects supported by EU programmes - such as EaSI, Urban Innovative Actions (UIA), Erasmus+, and Interreg - as well as national and regional initiatives from partner countries. This mapping aimed to identify both inspiring practices and systemic challenges in the fields of integration, employment, and inclusion. The complete repository of mapped initiatives is accessible here:  https://simpleinnovation.eu/repository.php?lang=EN From this broader repository, the consortium extracted 13 best practices that were particularly well-documented, impactful, and aligned with the SIMPLE project’s objectives. These are analysed in depth in another key project deliverable: The Social Innovation Compendium, available at: https://simpleinnovation.eu/assessment.php?lang=EN Among the 13, three model initiatives were selected as the primary inspiration for the development of SIMPLE’s Theory of Change: BSI_4Women (Interreg Baltic Sea Region) – focused on entrepreneurship and economic integration for Ukrainian refugee women. SIREE (Interreg 2Seas) – based on a co-creation model engaging schools, families, and communities to support refugee integration. MiFriendlyCities (Urban Innovative Actions) – emphasising employer engagement and the creation of inclusive employment ecosystems. The Theory of Change, available on the project website, outlines how the SIMPLE model is expected to generate meaningful and sustainable impact. Drawing on selected elements of the three model initiatives, it proposes an adaptable, modular approach that can be tailored to diverse national and local contexts.  This Theory of Change will serve as the foundation for the stakeholders’ engagement activities to be performed in all partner countries under WP3 and pilot actions to be carried out in Poland and Italy under WP4. In these two countries, partners will: Design and deliver targeted interventions for Ukrainian refugees, inspired by the selected model initiatives Engage relevant stakeholders (e.g. employers, training providers, community organisations, public authorities) to test co-designed solutions and build supportive local ecosystems Apply the SIMPLE model in real contexts, testing its feasibility, relevance, and adaptability Collect feedback and monitor outcomes, to evaluate the model’s effectiveness and inform future refinement and scaling. In Poland, the focus will be on employment activation, while in Italy, activities will revolve around empowerment and entrepreneurship pathways. Both pilots will be closely monitored to assess short-term and longer-term changes in participants’ inclusion and integration trajectories. SIMPLE is co-funded by the European Union under the ESF+ programme. The project brings together partners from Italy, Poland, Spain, Belgium, Croatia, and Hungary to co-design, pilot, and promote sustainable models for inclusion, employment, and community empowerment. Stay updated at: https://simpleinnovation.eu Contact: simple.euproject@gmail.com Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Social Fund Agency. Neither the European Union nor the Granting Authority can be held responsible for them.

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Partners

Collaboration is at the heart of the SIMPLE project. We work with a diverse range of stakeholders from academia, industry, government, and civil society to achieve our goals. Our partnerships are crucial for establishing strong networks, sharing resources, and maximizing the impact of our initiatives for Ukrainian refugees.

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Social Fund Agency. Neither the European Union nor the Granting Authority can be held responsible for them.

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Legal description – Creative Commons licensing: The materials published on the SIMPLE project website are classified as Open Educational Resources' (OER) and can be freely (without permission of their creators): downloaded, used, reused, copied, adapted, and shared by users, with information about the source of their origin.

SIMPLE Project, All rights reserved.