INNOVADE Kick-Off Meeting
January 9-10, 2025
Residence Palace, Brussels
EVENT SPOTLIGHT
EVENT SPOTLIGHT
The INNOVADE team gathered in Brussels for a two-day kick-off meeting, marking the start of an important three-year journey towards enhancing digital democracy in Europe. Eleven partners from four European countries came together at the Residence Palace to share their vision and plan the path ahead.
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INNOVADE (INNOVAtive DEmocracy through digitalisation) is a three-year EU-funded project focused on supporting the transition towards Digital Democracies. The project brings together eleven partners from four European countries to develop innovative tools that make civic participation easier and more effective.
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The project will create several key tools: a comprehensive Knowledge Base on Digital Democracies, practical Democracy Toolkits for governments, an educational platform with tailor-made materials, and most significantly, a Digital Democracy App that will be tested in two municipalities: Geel (Belgium) and San Martin de La Vega (Spain).
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INNOVADE brings together a diverse consortium of eleven partners including research institutions, universities, technology developers, municipalities, and communication experts. Led by Beyond the Horizon ISSG (Belgium), the partnership spans four European countries, combining expertise in social science, artificial intelligence, law, and public administration.
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Through its Living Labs methodology, INNOVADE brings citizens, government representatives and experts together to create better ways for communities to participate in decision-making. The project aims to make democratic participation more accessible, transparent and effective through digital tools, while ensuring security and protecting individual rights.
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Living Labs are dynamic workshops where citizens, government representatives, and experts work together to shape digital democracy tools. In INNOVADE, these labs serve as creative spaces where people can share ideas, test new approaches, and directly influence the development of solutions that serve community needs. The project will organise several Living Labs throughout its duration.
EU Initiatives and Policy Framework Alignment
The European Commission representatives shared valuable insights during the kick-off meeting, highlighting how INNOVADE aligns with key EU initiatives. Both the Project Officer and Policy Officer provided guidance on the project's connection to current policy frameworks.
“The best projects are those who start building relationships with stakeholders from the start, getting information out of them, assessing particular projects.”
Crafting a Shared Vision
The core of the kick-off meeting revolved around understanding how each Work Package contributes to INNOVADE's vision. From establishing theoretical foundations to developing practical tools, from building individual capacities to ensuring effective communication, each presentation revealed a piece of the puzzle. All partners engaged in lively discussions, sharing expertise and creating synergies across their different areas of specialisation.
“We need to think beyond current models of digital participation, creating something that can adapt and grow with future needs.”
“ For advancing digital democracy we first need to understand what digital democracy is really all about. ”
“Success means developing tools that are not just innovative, but truly usable and accessible for all citizens.”
“The real challenge is bringing together technical innovation with real democratic needs, making sure we’re solving actual problems.”
“ Equal access and equity are essential, making sure that all stakeholders are able to evolve to their full capacity. ”
“Digital democracy isn’t just about tools. It’s about creating meaningful connections between citizens and their governments.”
Workshop activities and group discussions
The second day of the kick-off meeting featured an engaging Living Lab workshop, where partners explored methodologies for future citizen engagement. Through collaborative exercises and group discussions, participants developed strategies for organising effective Living Labs throughout the project's duration.
LOOKING AHEAD: THE JOURNEY TOWARDS DIGITAL DEMOCRACY BEGINS
As the kick-off meeting drew to a close, partners left Brussels with clear objectives and renewed enthusiasm. The two days of intensive discussions, collaborative workshops, and shared vision-building laid strong foundations for the journey ahead. From theoretical frameworks to practical applications, from technical development to citizen engagement, each element of INNOVADE took shape through the contributions of all partners.
The coordinator's closing remarks captured the spirit of the gathering:
“I would like to thank all our participants from 11 partners coming from four different countries of the European Union. It was a really nice event to come together with you all, and I think it was more than what I expected. I see a really nice, collaborative team for the next three years. We have ambitious aims, ambitious goals, but we can achieve them with this collaborative work and coordination. So anytime we have our communication lines set up, we can work together to fix any problems. For any questions, any issues, we are here as coordinators to support you all. I personally think we created a good team for the next three years.”
