The Civic Incubator is a must for professionals and committed citizens who want to start a project on a solid footing, thanks to the expertise of the Maison de l’innovation sociale (MIS).
It’s a program that aims to conceive and nurture ideas for projects with a social and environmental impact, imagined by change-makers under the themes of global health, ecology and inclusion.
Through hands-on, project-based learning and coaching, participants develop their ability to develop innovative projects with high potential for positive socio-environmental impact.
More specifically, at the end of the module entitled :
At the end of the Understanding module, participants will be able to analyze the various facets of the targeted problem and identify opportunities for action to resolve it, thanks to a systemic approach combined with a field-based approach.
At the end of the Design module, they will be able to define a promising intervention strategy and design an innovative solution to achieve a positive socio-environmental impact, using data from field validation and the principles of service design.
At the end of the Experimenting module, by putting into practice a variety of creative approaches, including Agile project management, they will be able to identify the first elements of their solution to be tested iteratively to promote the ultimate success of their project.
At the end of the Planning module, they will be able to plan the broad outlines of their solution’s deployment, including project financing, definition of the appropriate legal form and strategies for mobilizing the key stakeholders required for the project’s success.
At the end of the Consolidate module, participants will be able to mobilize their full potential as agents of change in the deployment of their project by developing their confidence in their ability to carry out transformative actions, while improving their resilience in the face of the obstacles they encounter along the way.
Selected through a call for projects held each autumn, the prizewinners commit to a free support program to take their project from an early stage of development to a level of maturity conducive to deployment and financing.
Valued at $15,000, the course involves a commitment of some seven to ten hours a week for almost five months, including hours devoted to work and participation in workshops.
Every year since 2018, the Civic Incubator has been welcoming holders of projects with a positive social and environmental impact. Cohort members are accompanied by the MIS team for five months to take their initiative from ideation to a first phase of deployment. Project leaders take part in training sessions, practical workshops and group and individual coaching, to clarify their concept, define their project’s impact strategy, test their idea in the field, and prepare their project for deployment.
Find out what the Civic Incubator experience is like, and be inspired by the dozens of incubated projects (in French)!
The MIS would like to thank the Government of Quebec, the City of Montreal and the Fondation Béati for their financial support of the Civic Incubator 2025 cohort.
