Ministry of Research appoints special representative for social innovation

Socialbee founder Zahra Bruhn will be responsible for promoting social enterprises in the future. The ministry is thus fulfilling a promise made in the coalition agreement.

The Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) is to appoint a special representative for social innovation. Socialbee founder Zarah Bruhn will take on the newly created post, as the Handelsblatt reports. The ministry confirmed the appointment to the newspaper.

The ministry, led by FDP politician Bettina Stark-Watzinger, is thus implementing a promise from the coalition agreement. In this agreement, the SPD, Greens and FDP pledged to provide greater support for companies and social innovations that are geared towards the common good. Social enterprises such as Socialbee are mostly non-profit organizations that try to solve social problems.

In her new role, Bruhn wants to organize more capital for social start-ups and open up federal funding programmes for them. Her own company, which helps to find jobs for refugees, has so far been financed mainly through donations and loans. In her new position, she will not receive a salary, but only an expense allowance.