Chaire économie sociale et solidaire Lyon2

What Chaire économie sociale et solidaire Lyon2 does

Chaire économie sociale et solidaire Lyon2 (the 'Chaire ESS') is a publicly funded university research chair established in 2011 within Université Lumière Lyon 2 in Lyon, France. Its core function is the production of critical knowledge on the Social and Solidarity Economy (ESS) and the training of ESS professionals. The chair operates as an integrated platform combining collaborative research (Recherche en coopération), four Master ESS tracks (Formation initiale, Formation continue, Alternance, and an International track delivered in Phnom Penh, Cambodia), thematic working groups (Mesure d'impact social; Organisation du travail, qualité de l'emploi et engagements; Transformations territoriales), and a recurring public seminar series (Les Mardis de l'ESS). Outputs include the Carnets de la Chaire publication series, a student thesis archive, and an open Manifesto of ESS values. There are no proprietary technology products; the offering is knowledge and human-capital oriented.

The chair is funded through institutional partnerships with Grand Lyon (Métropole de Lyon) and Ville de Lyon, supplemented by university support, the 2022 LYSiERES² MESRI label (€304,000 initial funding), the ASIS European Alpine Social Innovation project, and a broad ecosystem of ESS practitioners and academic laboratories (Centre Max Weber, Coactis, Triangle, Cercrid). It functions as a non-commercial public academic entity with no equity funding, no commercial pricing, and revenue not publicly disclosed. Its core customers in functional terms are Master/doctoral students, ESS organizations (associations, cooperatives, mutuals, foundations), and local/regional public authorities who benefit from research collaboration, trained graduates, and policy-relevant knowledge production. The chair also coordinates with adjacent initiatives including the Chaire TrALIM on Food Transitions (with Institut LYFE) and 8 specialty research poles covering vulnerability, work, memory, cities, digital humanities, and ecological transition.

Name

Chaire économie sociale et solidaire Lyon2

Legal name

Université Lumière Lyon 2

Website

https://chaireess.univ-lyon2.fr

Company type

Public

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Chaire ESS is a university research chair at Université Lumière Lyon 2, established in 2011 to produce knowledge on the Social and Solidarity Economy. It trains students through 4 Master ESS tracks, runs working groups and public seminars, and engages ESS practitioners, cooperatives, and local authorities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Academic Research and Training Services

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (541720), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Education Sector Coordination, Clusters & Working Groups (EDADALAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

ESG Governance, Sustainability Reporting & Assurance Advisory (BPAHAFAJ), Conferences & Conventions Operations Services (Registration, AV, Logistics) (MPAGAGAM)

Keywords

• Social economy research
• Solidarity economy training
• Academic research chair
• ESS training programs
• Social innovation studies

Headquarters

HQ city

Lyon

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Institutional Funding: The chair receives financial support from public institutions including Grand Lyon (Métropole de Lyon) and Ville de Lyon (City of Lyon). Funding is supplemented by partner organizations and the university.
2. Research and Training Services: The chair provides research collaboration, training programs (Master ESS), and knowledge dissemination services to ESS organizations and public partners.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Chaire ESS is a university research chair that produces collaborative research, training programs (four Master ESS pathways), and public knowledge products on Social and Solidarity Economy. Its deliverables include the Mardis de l'ESS monthly seminar series, Les Carnets de la Chaire publications, three thematic working groups on social impact measurement, work organization, and territorial transformations, the European ASIS Alpine Social Innovation Strategy project, and an active partner network spanning associations, cooperatives, mutuals, foundations, local authorities, and research laboratories.

Product overview

The Chaire ESS (Économie Sociale et Solidaire) at Université Lumière Lyon 2 is a university research chair established in 2011 that serves as a critical knowledge production space for social transformation. It operates as a unified platform connecting the academic world with the socio-economic sector through multiple integrated offerings: collaborative research (Recherche en coopération), training programs linked to 4 Master's programs in ESS, seminar series (Les Mardis de l'ESS), working groups on social impact measurement, work organization, and territorial transformations, publications (Les Carnets de la Chaire), a partner network, and the ASIS European project. The chair also coordinates with other initiatives including the Chaire TrALIM on food transitions and 8 specialty research poles covering themes from vulnerability/inclusion to digital humanities and ecological transition. The chair is closely linked to the Mention ESS Master's programs and fosters collaboration between the university and ESS ecosystem actors through supervised student projects, internships, and alternating training programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Access to trained graduates through Master ESS programs
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core, secondary and minor.

• Centre Max WebercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch laboratory contributing to Chaire ESS activities. Sociology and Anthropology research unit affiliated with Lyon 2 and Saint-Étienne.
• CoactiscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch laboratory (Management Sciences) contributing to Chaire ESS. Focus on governance, strategy, and marketing aspects of ESS organizations.
• Triangle (ENS Lyon)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch laboratory (Sciences Po Lyon / ENS Lyon) contributing academic expertise to Chaire ESS activities.
• CercridsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch laboratory (Law) contributing legal and institutional perspectives to ESS research.
• Université Lumière Lyon 2coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding and host institution of the Chaire ESS. Provides infrastructure, academic framework, and administrative support.
• Institut LYFE (formerly Institut Paul Bocuse)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in TrALIM Chaire on Food Transitions. Research center contributing expertise on food, gastronomy, and hospitality industry studies. Located in Ecully.
• Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the LYSiERES² consortium for Science avec et pour la Société label, bringing complementary research expertise.
• Pop'Sciences Lyon-Rhône (COMUE)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerCCSTI (Centre de Culture Scientifique, Technique et Industrielle) partner in LYSiERES² consortium, contributing to science communication.
• La Rotonde (Mines Saint-Étienne)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerCCSTI partner in LYSiERES² consortium, bringing science mediation expertise from Saint-Étienne region.
• URSCOPsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of cooperative enterprises (SCOP) contributing practitioner perspective and collaborative research opportunities.
• Cress Auvergne-Rhône-AlpessecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional ESS chamber (Chambre Régionale de l'Économie Sociale et Solidaire), representing and connecting ESS organizations in the region.
• Alter'IncubminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerESS incubator supporting social innovation and entrepreneurship, collaborating on research and student projects.
• 10 pour 10minorOthersESS network organization listed among the chair's partner organizations.
• EnercoopminorOthersEnergy cooperative partner in the ESS network, contributing to sustainable development research.
• Habitat & HumanismeminorOthersHousing and social inclusion association partner, contributing to research on social housing and ESS.
• Macif / MAIF / MGENminorOthersMutual insurance companies (Macif, MAIF, MGEN) as part of the ESS partner network, contributing to social protection research.
• Université Jean Monnet Saint-ÉtienneminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner university contributing to the broader research network, particularly in ESS and social innovation.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Alter'Incub: ESS-focused incubator in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes supporting social innovation projects; listed as a minor partner of the Chaire ESS. It shares the same practitioner-facing role on impact measurement and cooperative enterprise development but operates an acceleration program rather than academic research.

Direct peers

• Le Labo de l'ESS: Independent French think-and-do tank on the Social and Solidarity Economy producing research, policy analysis, and field experiments—comparable in mission and content library to the Chaire ESS, though structured as an associative entity rather than a university chair.
• Chaire d'entrepreneuriat social HEC Paris: Academic chair at HEC Paris dedicated to social entrepreneurship and social innovation research, offering Master-level training and industry partnerships highly comparable to the Chaire ESS at Lyon 2, though operating from a business-school setting rather than a public university.
• AVISE: National agency supporting the development of the Social and Solidarity Economy in France, with research, training, and resource-production missions directly parallel to the Chaire ESS but operating at national scale and as a non-academic support structure.
• Chaire Économie Sociale et Solidaire - Université de Lille / MESHS: Other French academic chairs and Maison des Sciences de l'Homme entities hosting ESS research, training, and working groups that directly compete for the same French academic ESS funding and Master-student attention as the Chaire ESS at Lyon 2.
• ESS France (Chambre française de l'Économie Sociale et Solidaire): National umbrella organization for ESS in France, coordinating the regional Cress chambers and producing evidence, policy positions, and convenings on social and solidarity economy—comparable to the Chaire ESS but at national scale and focused on representation rather than academic research.
• Institut Godin: French research and resource center on cooperative and social enterprise models, producing applied research and training on ESS topics with a posture and stakeholder set closely mirroring the Chaire ESS's working groups and Carnets publications.

Regional players

• Cress Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes: Regional chamber of the Social and Solidarity Economy for Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, formally listed as a core partner of the Chaire ESS. It serves the same Lyon-area ESS ecosystem and connects associations, cooperatives, mutuals, and social enterprises, with overlapping practitioner network and research-consumption needs.
• Maison des Sciences de l'Homme Lyon Saint-Étienne (MSH LSE): Federative research infrastructure in Lyon-Saint-Étienne supporting social-science research, doctoral training, and science-society dialogue—operates in the same regional academic environment as the Chaire ESS, with overlapping lab partners (Centre Max Weber, Triangle) and complementary funding streams.

Broad incumbents

• France Active: National network financing and supporting social and solidarity enterprises across France, with a research and impact-measurement function that overlaps the Chaire ESS's Mesure d'impact social working group, though operating as a financial actor rather than an academic chair.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/chaire-%C3%A9conomie-sociale-et-solidaire-lyon2

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Chaire économie sociale et solidaire Lyon2