The second fi-compass ESF Conference ‘Financial instruments funded by the European Social Fund – boosting social impact’ is taking place on 8 and 9 March in Brussels.

The two-day high-level event, organised in Brussels by the European Commission and the European Investment Bank, will focus on topics related to social inclusion and social impact investing, innovative financing models addressing social challenges as well as the role of financial instruments co-funded by the European Social Fund as a possible source of innovative financing.

The fi-compass platform will provide participants with valuable insights on the possible use of ESF financial instruments as a resource-efficient way of financing social challenges, helping deliver on the European Pillar of Social Rights. The ESF is expected, alongside the other European Structural and Investment funds, to provide benefits by investing in people, from education and training to health, equality and social inclusion, in line with the directions of the Reflection Paper on the future of EU finances. Financial instruments are a valuable tool to deliver EU policy objectives in a period of severe budgetary constraints.

On day 2 of the conference, participants will have the opportunity to learn from practical experiences and good practices on how to use ESF financial instruments to promote self-employment and entrepreneurship and to support social entrepreneurship and social inclusion. Moreover, two parallel FI-Lab sessions held in the afternoon will provide a chance to fully explore practical topics related to the main focus of the conference in an interactive way.

The deadline for registration is Friday 2 March, 2018.

The event agenda as well as further information on the conference can be found on the fi-compass official website.