Avilés Municipality is the ASL Lead Partner and the local authority of Avilés city. The Welfare Services Directorate provides a comprehensive array of social services to the local community ranging from citizen participation to housing or employment, leading to achieving the social cohesion in the city. Avilés is a city located in the North of Spain. With a population of 80,880 inhabitants and 26.81km², its economy is based on services (69.4%), industry (23.9%), construction (5.3%) and agriculture (1.4%). The unemployment rate in the city is at 17%.

Santiago de Compostela is the capital of the autonomous community of Galicia, in north-western Spain. With a population of 96,456 inhabitants (population density 438.4/km2) and 220 km². Santiago de Compostela Municipality is the local authority of the city of Santiago. Over the last number of years, the budgetary and tax office has implemented an innovative approach to participative budgeting for fiscal policy and social redistribution.

Derry City and Strabane District Council (DCSDC) area comprises the second largest city in Northern Ireland. Derry is the “Capital of the North West” and is at the core of the only functional economic city region of its scale which straddles the border into the Republic of Ireland. Derry has an urban population in excess of 100,000. In Derry City there is a higher proportion of young people long-term unemployed. In January 2017, 32% of those claiming long-term unemployment benefit were young people aged under 25 (NI average of 21%). The Enterprise North West develops Enterprise Support Programmes for local SME’s and Social Enterprise / Social Innovation Support for community, voluntary groups and cooperatives.

Located on the south coast of Ireland, Cork City is the second largest in the Republic of Ireland and has a population of 119,230 people. Cork City and its surrounding county are a hub of economic, industrial and business development. Over the past 25 years, many of the world’s largest companies have located within the region and it is now home to global market leaders in pharmaceuticals, healthcare, biotechnology, professional services and international financial services. The region, however, is one of inequality. Employment, education and income levels vary widely within the city, as do levels of opportunity and social inclusion. The Cork City Council has a large experience in the coordination of stakeholders and service delivery, communications, EU funded project experience, social inclusion projects, social regeneration and social enterprise.

Bretagne Regional Social Economy Chamber is a shared tool for the actors of the social and solidarity economy to animate its development in the region. Bretagne is one of the regions in France recording the most dynamic growth, with a population of 3.26 million. The region is one of the few regions in France to have continued to create jobs over the last ten years, with the unemployment rate remaining below the national average (8.6% in Bretagne compared to 9.8% nationwide). In 2012, the total working population was 1.46 million: farming and fishing are continually decreasing, and now account for only 4.5% of the working population. Industry accounts for 14% of jobs, construction a further 7%, and the service and retail sector the vast majority, at 74%.

Pau is a commune on the northern edge of the Pyrénées, and capital of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques Département in the region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France. The communal population of Pau amounts to 81,166 inhabitants, according to the 2010 census (2013). Regarding the partner, Agglomeration Community of Pau-Pyrénées includes 14 municipalities with a total of 150,000 inhabitants. The partner has been delivering a wide range of services and programmes in the field of social economy with a very innovative perspective, such as The Club d’initiatives solidaires or the Fabrique à projets.

CIM of Ave is the organisation that coordinates the municipalities of Ave, a Portuguese NUTS 3 region that includes a total of eight municipalities with an area of 1453 km² and a population of around 430,000 inhabitants (2011). The territory of Ave is very heterogeneous which that can be classified around three different realities: Guimarães, Vila Nova de Famalicão and Vizela are urban municipalities with a high population density. The opposite situation can be observed in Cabeceiras de Basto, Mondim de Basto and Vieira do Minho, which are markedly rural municipalities. Between these two areas, Fafe and Póvoa de Lanhoso are a transition zone, occupying 24% of the territory of the Ave and representing 17% of its population. The region has a dynamic expanding business community, mainly composed of SMEs, and industry is the primary economic activity.

GCU has become one of the largest universities in Scotland. A distinctive, inclusive and forward-looking university, GCU is committed to its social mission to promote the common good. It has become an international centre of excellence in higher education, promoting employability and global citizenship in its graduates. The Glasgow School for Business and Society integrates the areas of business, law and social sciences to ensure that they are well placed to meet the needs of business and society. The former GCU Chancellor was the Nobel Peace Prize Winner and global anti-poverty campaigner Professor Muhammad Yunus. Currently this role is assumed by Dr Annie Lenox, Royal Academician, singer-songwriter, highly-respected social activist and philanthropist.

A hub of knowledge and learning, classified as World heritage site by UNESCO, the University of Coimbra in Portugal was founded in 1290 and is one of the oldest in Europe. CES is one of its main centres, focused on Social Sciences and the Humanities, through an inter and transdisciplinary approach. Since its foundation, in 1978, shortly after the Carnation Revolution, CES has been conducting research with and for an inclusive, innovative and reflexive society by promoting creative critical approaches in the face of some of the most urging challenges of contemporary societies. It covers a wide range of scientific activities and scope, at the national and international level, with particular focus on the North-South and South-North dialogues, contributing to the development, dissemination and application of cutting-edge science and to an advanced research and training of excellence.