Across Europe, disability service providers play a vital role in ensuring that persons with disabilities enjoy their rights, dignity, and equal opportunities in line with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD). Disability support services are expected to deliver modern, person-centred support that fully enables the enjoyment of human rights, in line with the UNCRPD and EU frameworks for high-quality and accessible services. While much focus is placed on improving direct support, far less attention has been given to the internal organisational changes required to make these approaches a reality.
Disability services must build cultures grounded in human rights, strengthen governance and financial resilience, attract and retain a skilled workforce, and develop HR systems that support person-centred practices. They also need to respond to accelerating demands for digitalisation, sustainability, and new forms of collaboration across sectors.
These challenges are compounded by staff shortages, limited career pathways, and an ageing workforce, all of which threaten the sector’s long-term sustainability. Strengthening organisational capacity and fostering innovation are therefore essential not only to comply with international and European standards, but to ensure that services remain resilient, inclusive, and capable of supporting people with disabilities to achieve their full potential.
In this context, we are seeking examples of innovative, and sustainable approaches that drive organisational change and overcome existing barriers to strengthen the capacity of support services to deliver quality support aligned with the principles of the UNCRPD and the EU Framework on Social Services of Excellence. The winning practices will be recognised with the EASPD Innovation Awards during the EASPD International Conference ‘Leading Change in Disability Services - Strengthening Capacity for Person-Centred Support’ in Porto, Portugal (May 2026) to celebrate and share excellence in organisational development among disability services.
What are the EASPD Innovation Awards?
The EASPD Innovation Awards aim to highlight the remarkable work of organisations striving to bring innovation and new (or optimised) approaches to the development of high-quality services, programmes and methodologies that are thriving to transform the disability sector.
What is the theme of the EASPD Innovation Awards in 2026?
Each year, EASPD Innovation Awards focus on a different theme. In 2026, they will focus on organisational change in disability support services, in view of building capacity for person-centred support and will be showcased during EASPD International Conference in Porto, Portugal (May 2026).
Practices tackling one or more of the following topics are considered highly relevant:
- HR resource management: strategies for effective recruitment, retention, staff training, well-being, and developing inclusive workplace cultures.
- Leadership & change management: Exploring ways to strengthen transparent and inclusive management and developing systems that assure service quality in line with Quality of Life model (or similar CRPD compliant approaches) and set clear frameworks for effective delivery and managing organisational change in line with the UNCRPD.
- Capacity building for the digital and green transition: equipping service providers with the skills and tools to integrate digital solutions, promoting sustainable practices and preparedness that respond to environmental challenges.
- Financial management and planning: strengthening organisational resilience through effective financial planning and management, ensuring budgets remain adaptable and flexible to deliver person-centred services, while also exploring new avenues of funding and building sustainable financial models;
- Communication, partnerships and marketing: Exploring strategies for cross-sector collaboration and engagement with public authorities and strengthening the visibility and outreach of service providers through effective communication and marketing approaches that demonstrate social impact and build trust with stakeholders, funders, and families.
Applications are open to all disability support services and networks across Europe, both large and small organisations are eligible. Initiatives must have been implemented (fully or partially) within the last 4 years.
The selection will be made based on scoring on the selection criteria, diversity in terms of activities, methods and geographical distribution.
Criteria
To be eligible, the practice submitted needs to be an 'innovative practice'.
This means the practice must be:
- Innovative: The initiative encompasses a new or optimised, more effective solution to enhance organisational or service efficiency to address gaps or unmet needs.
- Human Rights-based: The initiative is aligned with the principle of the UN CRPD and seeks to advance its implementation.
- Effective: The initiative is impactful, producing tangible results that improve organisational structure, service provision and/or outcomes for persons with disabilities. Demonstrated or emerging impact even in pilot phase.
- Sustainability and Transferability: The initiative has potential for long-term viability and can be adapted by other support services.
How to apply?
Please complete the following form. It will take you approximatively 20 minutes. You must complete the entire survey in order to submit it.
Submissions must be done in English.
Who is going to assess the practice?
All submissions will be evaluated in a multi-step process involving pre-assessment, peer review and scoring. The jury includes experts, DPOs representatives, support service providers and academics specialised on the topic.
What is the prize?
The 5 winners will receive a prize during the EASPD International Conference in Porto, Portugal (May 2026) as well as a travel grant for participating in the event. The winning practices be promoted on all EASPD communication channels.
The deadline to complete the survey is 1 February 2026 at 23:59 CET.
The applicants will be contacted by 27 March 2026.
If you have any questions, please contact the EASPD Learning and Development Officer Miguel Buitrago at miguel.buitrago@easpd.eu
EASPD Innovation Awards
EASPD Innovation Awards 2026 - Rationale and Overview of the Questionnaire