SCALEDEM aims to unlock democratic innovations resulting from research and innovation (R&I) activities, with a focus on EU-funded projects. The project is developing a scaling infrastructure to extend the reach and impact of these innovations. This includes actionable tools such as policy roadmaps, a compass for scaling democratic innovations and a sound theory of scaling.

SCALEDEM envisions a future in which democratic innovations are widely adopted, impactful and sustainable. By linking research-based solutions to social and political needs, the project seeks to address the growing challenges in democratic governance, such as dissatisfaction, low civic engagement and distrust in institutions.

SCALEDEM enables researchers, practitioners and policy makers to scale democratic innovation in four dimensions:

  • upscaling: Influence on laws and policy
  • scaling outwards: reaching several different target groups
  • scale profoundly: Changing cultures and identities
  • inclusion: Improving the quality of democratic processes

To achieve this, SCALEDEM starts by analyzing innovative solutions from R&I projects, particularly those addressing citizen participation and engagement in democratic governance. Through its Translation Hub, the project adapts and refines these solutions into practical applications. Two Scaling Grounds—Twinning and Pilot Programmes—are then deployed to test, replicate, and expand the societal impact of these innovations.

nexus activities

nexus is leading work packages 5 and 6, which focus on the implementation of pilot projects. This includes the selection and introduction of innovative pilot projects, the provision of customised mentors, the organisation of capacity building workshops and the evaluation of results. This will ensure that the democratic innovations are implementable, scalable and adaptable to different contexts.

Duration: 01/2024 – 05/2028
funding body: Horizon Europe
Team: Dr. Thomas Blanchet (Project manager), Ina Metzner, Maria Serrato
Project partner: Missions Publiques (Frankreich), European University Institute (Italien), Dublin City University (Irland), Forschungsinstitut für Nachhaltigkeit – Helmholtz-Zentrum Potsdam (Deutschland), ifok GmbH (Deutschland), European Capital of Democracy (Österreich), Danish Board of Technology Foundation (Dänemark), nexus Institut (Deutschland), Fondazione ICONS (Italien), GLOBSEC (Slowakei), Université Catholique de Louvain (Belgien), Democracy Reporting International (Deutschland), Extituto de Política Abierta (Kolumbien).