Icelandic webinar gathered every region

During the session, speakers Steinunn Ása Sigurðardóttir and Anna Sigríður Ólafsdóttir from Vestfjarðastofa introduced key concepts of social entrepreneurship and explored its role in rural development. They also highlighted findings from ongoing research.

The call for the webinar drew a broad audience, representing at least seven professional categories ranging from social enterprises and public institutions to private companies with a strong community commitment.

A relatively unknown concept in Iceland

Participants included newly established social enterprises, long‑standing community‑oriented companies, research institutions and a wide range of both public and private business‑support organisations. Culture proved to be the most common sector among socially minded businesses, followed by tourism and agriculture, often in combination.

– We were happy to see how many people from different organizations around the country showed interest, especially since the concept of social entrepreneurship is still relatively unknown in Iceland, said Steinunn Ása Sigurðardóttir

Geographically, attendees came from every region of Iceland, including the Westfjords, the Northeast and the East, demonstrating widespread interest in the role that social entrepreneurship can play in future regional.

Exploring the role of social enterprises in rural development

The main goal of the webinar was to explain what social enterprises actually are, how they differ from conventional businesses and why they can be so crucial for rural areas. Drawing on insights from the ongoing MERSE project, the speakers Steinunn and Anna underlined that social enterprises often:

• Are deeply rooted in their communities
• Work with a long-term perspective
• Help fill service gaps in sparsely populated regions

At the same time, their social impact can be difficult to define, measure and communicate, making awareness and support particularly important. The hosts also discussed persistent challenges for social enterprises in Iceland, including:

• Insecure funding
• Low understanding of social enterprise business models
• Support systems not tailored to purpose-driven ventures
• Limitations within the national registration and taxation system

The conversation frequently returned to the issue of definitions, as many Icelandic advisers and public agencies still associate social enterprise with a narrow set of legal forms. The webinar emphasised MERSE’s broader understanding: that a social enterprise is defined by purpose, funding model and reinvestment of profits, rather than by any single registration category.

Learning from international examples

To broaden the discussion, the webinar highlighted how Ireland integrates social innovation into regional policy, offering lessons that could inspire Icelandic practice. Irish examples included targeted advisory services, dedicated financing tools and strategic planning frameworks that formally recognise social value creation.

Active discussions and shared challenges

Participants engaged actively in the discussions, reflecting a need for knowledge-sharing.

– Although we sometimes feel like we repeat the same things, these discussions show how important it is to keep going. There is still a long way to go for the public and for business advisors to fully understand the concepts, said Anna Sigríður Ólafsdóttir.

Questions centred on sector definitions, organisational forms, and how to navigate Iceland’s current support structures. The dialogue underscored the relevance of MERSE’s work in developing tools that make it easier to start and support social enterprises in rural contexts.

A positive reception and signs of momentum

The webinar hosts Steinunn and Anna from Vestfjarðastofa, concluded the event feeling encouraged.

– We are very happy with the reception. It clearly shows that what we are doing in this project matters, Steinunn said.

Both stressed how heartening it was to see participants from every region and from so many types of organisations. Social enterprises, public institutions, and conventional businesses alike.

– There is a huge interest in social entrepreneurship in Iceland, they noted, and we hope this will lead to both more collaborations and better support, said Anna.

As members of the MERSE project, the hosts work actively to spread knowledge and support entrepreneurs and community development in the Westfjords. Through MERSE they have gained deeper insights into how social entrepreneurship can strengthen rural regions and the webinar served as an important step in sharing this knowledge nationwide.