DRIVING POSITIVE DISRUPTION

ABOUT US

The Counterintuitive Institute is a pioneering, fully female-led research organisation, dedicated to challenging the status quo and driving positive societal change in a world of constant turbulence and deepening uncertainty.

We work to fill the known and unsuspected gaps in evidence, policy, strategy, action, and impact by co-creating knowledge, co-constructing solutions from the ground up, and fostering broad-participation collaborations in Bulgaria, the EU, and beyond.

OUR PURPOSE

We aim to set up a new solution-finding model for disrupting conventional thinking, policymaking, intervention formulation, and impact generation. Our Counterintuitive objectives are to:

  • Ask uncomfortable questions and demand self-reflection from ourselves and those with whom we work.

  • Question and subvert traditional expert-driven approaches to societal and technological issues and solutions definition.

  • Define our desired outcomes and work backwards to design the strategies for their achievement.

  • Involve individuals, organisations, and communities as co-researchers and co-creators, regardless of their pre-existing expertise,to ensure that our solutions are relevant, inclusive, accessible, and effective.

  • Develop practical and sustainable solutions that address real-life challenges through real-people input.

OUR TOPICS

  • We advocate for a holistic approach that goes beyond legal equality and addresses structural and systemic barriers. We prioritise the rights of all women, regardless of their background, race, ethnicity, ability, age, and other characteristics.

  • We research and address emerging forms of violence, and the impact of technology on violence experienced in offline life. We strive to develop strategies for preventing and addressing these forms of violence in order to empower and protect those affected.

  • We are committed to ensuring that technologies are developed and used in a way that promotes gender equality and respects women’s rights. We advocate for people-centred, inclusive, feminist, and ethical perspectives in tech.

VALUES

OUR

  • We are moved by the unfiltered experiences of people in their diversity as sources of knowledge and wisdom.

  • We are moved by the amazing women who support us every day and give us the courage to create, innovate, and grow.

  • We are moved by our experiences as professionals, as citizens, and as women to always work from a place of empathy and ethical alignment.

  • We are moved by a strong commitment to our purpose and the realisation that change may be difficult, but it is a goal worth our perseverance.

  • We are moved by the ideas that raise eyebrows, raise oppositions, and raise spirits.