It depends how deep you want to digg. A pragmatic definition could be:

An idea or object that is new in a given social system, accepted (at least partly), perceived as useful and leading to social and/or technological changes (Nicolay).

Innovations typically confront customs and norms.

Numerous types of innovation exist including component innovation: improving one part of system; financial innovation: creating or modifying fiscal instruments; product innovation: creating or improving an existing product to sell; process innovation: making an existing product cheaper; religious innovation: changes in the practice of religious belief.

 However, the factors of “novelty” and “improvement” introduced by the OECD definition, are also stressed by the European Commission for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion (2009), which intends social innovation as “the design and implementation of creative ways of meeting social needs.”.

 Novelty + Improvement + Sustainability = Social Innovation  (Carrera, 2008)

hope this is useful,

best

gian

I recommend the following ideas:

Being a Ayurveda physician and Researcher i think that....

"Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinah, Sarve Santu Niramayah"

Means "May every one be happy, may every one be free from all diseases. may every one see goodness and auspiciousness in every thing, may none be unhappy or distressed".

Being a human we all are a social in nature and can't live without each other.

Change is the only thing which is permanent in this universe. So according to changing environment and to meet the essential needs and not greed's; whatever technology-idea-thought is able to make an positive impact to establish equality and sustainable development of human has to be considered as social innovations.