Innovation applied to housing for the green and social transition in the Canary Islands

The Ministry of Universities, Science, Innovation and Culture of the Government of the Canary Islands, through the Canary Agency for Research, Innovation and Information Society (ACIISI), continues to disseminate the transformative projects that have participated in the latest call for social innovation.

A total of nine projects have been selected for development between 2026 and 2027, with funding close to 100,000 euros each and 100% coverage of their subsidizable budget.

Among these initiatives, 'DOMESTIC TERRITORIES: Tools and methodologies to promote the just ecosocial transition from housing in the Canary Islands' stands out, a pioneering project executed by Oficina de Innovación Cívica S. Coop. that has received an exact subsidy of 99,947.50 euros and whose roadmap extends from February 1 to November 30, 2026.

The initiative is born with the objective of placing housing—and its impact on the territory—at the center of the green and social transition of the islands. Instead of understanding housing as just four walls, the project analyzes domestic space, community life, and urban environments to propose a much fairer, more sustainable, and more human model of habitability.

To achieve this, ‘Domestic Territories’ will develop four fundamental pillars. The first is the development of the first ecosocial standard of living in the Canary Islands, a framework of indicators that allows evaluating the quality of housing by incorporating dimensions of health, care, energy efficiency, community, and territory.

The second consists of a public and open digital tool that guides citizens, professionals, and administrations in improving housing and domestic-community environments, identifying concrete and accessible improvements.

Thirdly, they will study pilot cases in different residential models (rental, ownership, social housing with support, and cooperatives in usufruct) to generate real evidence and transferable learning.

Finally, they will propose a package of public policy recommendations on housing, health, and care, aimed at city councils, island councils, and the Government of the Canary Islands, with the aim of improving the living conditions of the resident population, especially vulnerable groups in accessing housing.

With this boost from the ACIISI, the Canary Islands seeks to transform the infrastructure of its homes, and also strengthen the social fabric, demonstrating that innovation in the 21st century is also designed from the living room.