As an ethical approach to a country’s development, the social solidarity economy (SSE) puts the welfare of people and environment above all else. The EU-funded ESSENTIALS project will explore the processes that contribute to the promotion of SSE. Specifically, it will focus on how social incubators can be used to encourage socio-economic development. The project will map and compare incubators in Latin America and the EU to identify any relationship between gender and organisational characteristics. A comparative study will identify the factors that contribute to the creation of incubators and their impact. The findings will shed light on the most effective social incubator models.