Expanding a university-based social enterprise: organizational change across 15 years

Introduction Social enterprises combine social purpose and commercial activity to address societal challenges, yet limited longitudinal evidence explains how they develop as they expand, particularly when operating within established institutions. This study examines the factors supporting expansion in a university-based social enterprise and how their function and importance change across stages of development. Methods We conduct a 15-year longitudinal case study of an enterprise delivering substance use prevention to secondary school students through face-to-face and digital formats. Evidence includes trial and survey data, organizational records, governance and funding documentation, and an extensive body of peer-reviewed publications. Using a social innovation lens, the study examines the roles of university actors, schools, government, funders and industry across the expansion process. Results Expansion was accompanied by increasing interdependence between the enterprise and the university. The university provided credibility, expertise, resources and institutional support, while the enterprise contributed to the university’s research activity and social mission. Technology also changed how work was coordinated as the organization developed. Initially embedded in the program offering, digital systems increasingly supported communication, collaboration, implementation monitoring and knowledge sharing across staff, schools, university actors and external stakeholders. As the enterprise expanded, roles and implementation processes became more structured, alongside greater requirements for technological oversight, security and accountability. This was important for replicability as the program introduced new platforms and expanded nationally. Discussion These findings show that social enterprise expansion involves reconfiguring the organizational systems and relationships through which social value is produced. The longitudinal perspective provides contextual and practical detail on how to achieve this for social enterprises working in a university setting.