Fostering connections across geographies and disciplines.
The Work4Progress Annual Meeting brings together in Barcelona every October a community of change-makers: local and international partners, social innovators, researchers, and institutional leaders, working to create quality employment opportunities for women and young people in vulnerable situations across India, Mozambique, Peru, and Colombia.
This annual gathering, exclusive for Work4Progress members, is a collaborative space for reflection, learning, and co-creation. Participants share insights from the field, explore the impact of tested prototypes, and engage in dialogue around systemic change. The meeting showcases the progress made through the Work4Progress programme’s unique methodology based on listening, co-creation, prototyping, and acceleration, and highlights the transformative power of social innovation platforms.
The event features roundtables, workshops, and presentations both from members of the Work4Progress community and leading voices in social innovation.
Public Session at Palau Macaya: Technology in International Cooperation
As part of the Annual Meeting, an open session is held every year. In 2025, this was held at Palau Macaya on 8 October and was focused on exploring the role of emerging digital technologies in shaping the future of international cooperation. Titled “Can Digital Innovation Foster a More Transformative Development?”, the session brought together experts from government, academia, civil society, and the private sector to discuss how data-driven tools can enhance decision-making, promote inclusive innovation, and drive systemic change.
The session featured a keynote by José Moisés Martín Carretero, Director of the Centre for the Development of Industrial Technology (CDTI), followed by a panel discussion with Kasia Odrozek (UNESCO) and Shrashtant Patara, CEO of Development Alternatives. Moderated by Gorka Espiau, Scientific Director of Work4Progress, the dialogue highlighted ethical, equitable, and community-led approaches to digital transformation and sought to spark new collaborations across sectors.
The recording of the session can be watched here: