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 where democratic innovations are widely adopted, impactful and sustainable. By linking research-based solutions to societal and political needs, the project seeks to address growing challenges in democratic governance, such as dissatisfaction, low civic engagement and distrust in institutions. SCALEDEM empowers researchers, practitioners and policy makers to scale democratic innovation in four dimensions:

  • Scaling high: Impacting laws and policy.
  • Scaling out: Reaching more and diverse audiences.
  • Scaling deep: Transforming cultures and identities.
  • Scaling in: 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 leads Work Packages 5 and 6, focusing on the implementation of pilot projects. These efforts include selecting and onboarding innovative pilots, providing tailored mentoring, hosting capacity-building workshops, and evaluating outcomes. This ensures that democratic innovations are actionable, scalable, and adaptable to diverse contexts. Duration: 01/2024 – 05-2028 Team: Dr. Thomas Blanchet (Projektleiter), Maria Serrato Project partner: Missions Publiques (France), European University Institute (Italy), Dublin City University (Ireland), Forschungsinstitut für Nachhaltigkeit – Helmholtz-Zentrum Potsdam (Germany), ifok GmbH (Germany), European Capital of Democracy (Austria), Danish Board of Technology Foundation (Denmark), Fondazione ICONS (Italy), GLOBSEC (Slovakia), Université Catholique de Louvain (Belgium), Democracy Reporting International (Germany), Extituto de Política Abierta (Colombia).