What Socialt Udviklingscenter SUS does

Socialt Udviklingscenter SUS (SUS) is a Danish non-profit social development and knowledge center founded in 1992 and headquartered in Copenhagen at Fælledvej 12, Nørrebro. The organization designs, develops, and facilitates methods and processes intended to create socially sustainable solutions for vulnerable populations, working in close interaction with citizens in marginalized positions and the professionals who serve them. Its core operating approach combines evidence about what works with an experimental, risk-tolerant posture across three explicit practice areas: involvement (giving vulnerable citizens a voice in development processes), system change (improving and simplifying welfare support systems), and experiments (piloting new approaches to social problems).

SUS delivers its impact through three revenue-generating activities. First, it publishes an extensive library of method descriptions, reports, handbooks, and annual magazines (e.g., the 2025 annual magazine on relational welfare, OMBOLD method description, Den fællesskabende håndbog) that it sells through sus.dk with Dankort/VISA-Dankort payment processing via NETS, charging 45 DKK per order for delivery. Second, it organizes and registers attendees for conferences, themed days, and events, with cancellations permitted up to 14 days prior. Third — and most substantively — it provides consulting, project evaluation, and development services to Danish municipalities, national agencies (Socialstyrelsen, Social- og Boligstyrelsen), and major foundations including Egmont Fonden, Realdania, TrygFonden, and Lauritzen Fonden, on initiatives ranging from youth employment (Energi til Hinanden in Esbjerg) and homelessness prevention (Fra hjemløshed til egen bolig, Hjem til Alle Alliancen) to digital safety for children and family treatment evaluation.

SUS has no proprietary technology product; its value proposition is built on a knowledge corpus accumulated over 30+ years and on trusted relationships with public-sector and philanthropic buyers. The organization's marketing and distribution is anchored on its website (sus.dk), a newsletter issued 4-5 times per year via MailChimp, and presence on Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Vimeo, and Podbean. Geographic operations are predominantly domestic across Denmark, with one documented project extending into Greenland on homelessness research.

Name

Socialt Udviklingscenter SUS

Legal name

SUS – Socialt Udviklingscenter

Website

https://sus.dk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Socialt Udviklingscenter SUS is a Danish non-profit knowledge center founded in 1992 that designs, evaluates, and disseminates social welfare methods for vulnerable citizens, serving Danish municipalities, national agencies, and major foundations through consulting, commissioned evaluations, and publications.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Copenhagen

HQ country

Denmark

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Publications and Knowledge Products: SUS sells publications, reports, method guides and other knowledge products through their website. Publications include delivery costs of 45 DKK. They accept payment via Dankort/VISA-Dankort through secure server (SSL).
2. Event Registrations: SUS organizes and hosts events, conferences, and themed days. Event information is sent approximately 14 days before the event. Registration cancellation is possible until 14 days before the event.
3. Consulting and Project Services: SUS provides consulting services, project evaluation, and development work for municipalities, foundations, and government bodies on social welfare topics.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

SUS is a non-profit social development and knowledge center that designs, develops, and facilitates methods and processes for social change. It sells publications, method guides, and reports on social welfare topics, hosts conferences and themed events, and delivers consulting, project evaluation, and development work for municipalities, foundations, and government bodies across Denmark and Greenland.

Product overview

SUS (Socialt Udviklingscenter) is a non-profit social development and knowledge center. The organization does not offer a commercial software product but rather provides a portfolio of knowledge products including publications, method descriptions, reports, and experience compilations focused on social welfare, community development, and social change. Their publications cover topics such as: relational welfare, collective youth budgets, digital safety for children, interventions for vulnerable youth, family treatment, homelessness prevention, and community-building methodologies. The knowledge products are available as free downloadable PDFs and are produced in collaboration with municipalities, foundations, and civil society organizations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Metodebeskrivelse: OMBOLDs arbejde med idræt, fællesskab og forandring A method description publication documenting OMBOLD's values, principles, and theoretical basis for sports-based social work, describing collaboration with municipalities and civil society. Sold to municipalities, civil society organizations, and social sector professionals.
• Spil Sammen! metodebeskrivelse A method description publication outlining a joint approach for building bridges between social psychiatry and civil society to create access to communities. Targeted at social sector professionals and civil society organizations.
• Digital tryghed: Hvad ved vi fra forskning og praksis? A knowledge note providing research-based knowledge about children's digital safety and online well-being, developed in collaboration with TrygFonden. Targeted at professionals working with children and youth.
• Relationel velfærd: Når menneskelig forbundethed skaber social forandring The SUS annual magazine for 2025, focusing on relational welfare and how municipalities, foundations, civil society, and businesses work with welfare in new ways. Aimed at stakeholders across the Danish welfare ecosystem.
• Brugerinvolvering som vej til bedre velfærdsløsninger A method publication outlining steps toward better user involvement through concrete method descriptions, approaches, and practical examples. Aimed at social sector professionals and municipalities seeking to involve citizens in service design.
• Fællesskabsbudgetter – resultater, læring og modelbeskrivelse Documentation of collective community budgets implemented in Herning and Randers municipalities, providing young unemployed people influence on their path to employment. Targeted at municipalities and policymakers.
• Den fællesskabende håndbog A handbook for opening doors to communities for young people, providing concrete methods, principles, and inspiration for activities. Aimed at youth workers, educators, and civil society organizations.
• En barndom med få penge A study exploring how children experience growing up in economically constrained families, based on 21 qualitative in-depth interviews. Developed in partnership with Egmont Fonden. Aimed at policymakers, researchers, and welfare professionals.
• Trygge leve- og arbejdsmiljøer An implementation guide for welfare sector workplaces to implement new initiatives in practice, addressing workplace safety and environment. Aimed at social sector workplaces and managers.
• Consulting and Project Services for Municipalities and Foundations Professional consulting, project evaluation, and development services for municipalities, national government bodies, and foundations on social welfare topics including youth employment, homelessness, family support, digital safety, and community development. Delivered directly to organizations such as Aarhus Kommune, Social- og Boligstyrelsen, and Egmont Fonden.
• Events, Conferences, and Themed Days Conferences, themed days, and public events organized and hosted by SUS on social welfare topics. Registrations are accepted via sus.dk with attendee information sent approximately 14 days before each event and cancellation possible until 14 days before.

Quantifiable outcome

• De Små Børns Bornholm program aims to change the development trajectory for children on Bornholm who are more likely to grow up in vulnerable family situations
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Bornholms RegionskommunecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey partner in De Små Børns Bornholm program, an ambitious initiative to support families with young children on Bornholm island, working to reverse a concerning social development trend.
• SocialstyrelsencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing collaboration on professional standards and quality frameworks for social services, including 'Faglige pejlemærker for kvalitet i bostøtten' (Professional markers for quality in housing support).
• Vold som UdtryksformmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on violence prevention and handling in social services, producing publications like 'Konflikter og vold - en faglig udfordring' and 'Trygge leve- og arbejdsmiljøer'.
• Aarhus KommunecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMultiple collaborations including UKHome inclusive youth housing project, Opgang til Opgang employment initiative, and evaluation of Relationel Velfærd programs.
• Rådet for Socialt UdsattemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on case catalog 'Deltagelse som vejen til forandring' and literature study on participation for citizens in vulnerable positions.
• AlzheimerforeningenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on 'RUM'lighed' project evaluating dementia-friendly housing areas.
• En Vej Til AllecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition bringing together key actors across sectors to create pathways for all young people, including policy papers to Reformkommissionen and analysis of effective youth interventions.
• Hjem til Alle AlliancenmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on preventing youth homelessness, including publications on youth experiences with homelessness.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Direct peers

• Mandag Morgen: Danish think tank publishing analysis and convening stakeholders on welfare, public sector innovation, and social change. Closely comparable in mission, audience (municipalities, foundations), and knowledge-product model.
• VIVE - Det Nationale Forsknings- og Analysecenter for Velfærd: Denmark's national social science research center. Highly comparable to SUS in producing evaluations, analyses, and knowledge products for Danish kommuner, ministries, and foundations on welfare and social policy.
• Rådet for Socialt Udsatte: Danish national council advocating for citizens in socially vulnerable positions. Directly comparable mission focus; SUS is already a documented partner, indicating operational overlap on vulnerable-population policy work.
• Center for Frivilligt Socialt Arbejde: Danish national center supporting voluntary social work and civil society organizations. Comparable as a non-profit knowledge and development hub serving similar municipal and foundation stakeholders in the social welfare field.
• Diakonissestiftelsen: Copenhagen-based social welfare foundation running community development, housing, and vulnerable-population programs. Comparable Danish non-profit operator with municipality and foundation funding mix.
• KFUM og KFUK's Sociale Arbejde: Danish social welfare arm of KFUM/KFUK running community-based youth and family programs with municipalities. Operates in adjacent social development space with overlapping kommune and foundation funding sources.

Broad incumbents

• Nesta: UK-based innovation foundation with a substantial social innovation portfolio. Comparable as a larger, more established counterpart working on evidence-based social interventions, partnerships, and mission-driven funding models.

Emerging players

• Mploy: Danish initiative focused on employment pathways for vulnerable youth, including collaborative projects with Esbjerg and other kommuner. Comparable niche target population and municipal partnership model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/socialt-udviklingscenter-sus

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Socialt Udviklingscenter SUS