Palau Macaya hosted the Thursday 28 February the Conference organized by the Fundación iSocial “Financing innovative social projects. European priorities and trends for the next years in the field of social action “. In a full room with more than 40 people, experts from the EASPD (European Association of Service Providers for Persons with Disabilities) invited by our foundation, Belgian Luk Zelderloo and British Thomas Bignal, have explained and debated the participants on the great window of opportunity that opens up in Europe in these coming years to access to finance the investment needs of the social services sector of Catalonia, in order to transform models and services and implement innovative solutions.

Subsequently, the speakers were debated with a zero line that was formed, on behalf of the Public Administration, by Meritxell Benedí, General Director of Social Services of the Generalitat; representing the business sector, by Xavier Pont, director and co-founder of the Ship2B Foundation; and in representation of the third sector, by Josep Maria Solé, director of Support-Fundación Tutelar Girona and secretary of the Board of Trustees of the Fundació iSocial.

Among the participants there were representatives of city councils, departments, the Generalitat, social entities, companies, universities and foundations. The event was carried out thanks to the support of Fundación tutelar Girona, EASPD and Palau Macaya.

On February 12, 2019 the Social Foundation and the Víctor Grífols i Lucas Foundation have signed a collaboration agreement in order to strengthen the ethical perspective in the activities and research and innovation projects in the social sector that will promote the iSocial Foundation from now on.

On behalf of the Grífols Foundation, the agreement was signed by its director, Núria Terribas, while Montserrat Cervera signed on behalf of the iSocial Foundation.

The collaboration agreement arises, on the one hand, of the interest and commitment of the iSocial Foundation to guarantee a proper and rigorous treatment of the ethical dimension in all its activities and projects; and, on the other, the expertise and reputation of the Grífols Foundation in this field of knowledge. To that end, the agreement provides for mutual commitments to incorporate the ethical perspective, both in terms of knowledge and possible activities and financing.

On January 10, 2019, the Social Council of iSocial Foundation met at its new headquarters, 151 Lepant St. in Barcelona. This modern, recently-open facility houses also La Casa de Carlota and a communication company. La Casa de Carlota is an innovative design studio which includes among its professionals, people with autism and with Down syndrome. 151 Lepant St. facilities are then, besides an office space, also a creative space and an art gallery.

The plenary meeting of the Social Council, the second to date, has served to review the activity developed by the foundation during its first four months, from September to December 2018, and to discuss the priority lines of action set for the first months of 2019 by the Council of Government. Some of the main challenges are to consolidate the projects initiated; identify other necessary projects and promote them; expand national and international relations to establish alliances; continuously create and publish content; and, finally, get funding.