On 23-24 September 2025, INNOVADE held its second Living Lab, Envisioning Digital Democracy, in Paderborn, Germany. The two-day event brought together around 40 participants, including project partners, external experts, civic tech practitioners, and engaged citizens.
The Living Lab followed an interactive and participatory design process, making the most of the diverse perspectives and experiences of the participants, who mapped out what an “ideal digital democracy” could look like, the challenges standing in the way and possible solutions using a Futures Wheel methodology.
The input of external participants was especially valued. Citizens actively contributed to debates on issues such as trust in institutions, online participation, and the dominance of digital platforms, highlighting how democratic innovation must respond to real-world concerns.
From Challenges to Policy Recommendations
The final workshop translated earlier discussions into clear, actionable policy recommendations across four key dimensions:
- Digital Democracy in General
- Open Governance
- Online Participation
- Digital Activism
Following European Commission guidance on evidence-based policy briefs, participants developed multi-level recommendations for EU, national, and local governments. Examples include:
- Updating the EU’s Better Regulation Agenda to embed citizen and civil society involvement.
- Funding public European digital platforms as alternatives to corporate-controlled ecosystems.
- Supporting local hybrid participation methods to ensure inclusion of digitally excluded groups.
- Investing in digital literacy and public education to strengthen civic engagement.
Impact and Next Steps
The Living Lab produced a rich set of ideas, challenges, solutions, and concrete policy proposals. These outputs will feed into INNOVADE’s ongoing research, particularly the development of the Digital Democracy Grading Toolkit. It was another demonstration of how participatory design and collaborative problem-solving can lay the groundwork for resilient, inclusive change.
We thank all participants for their commitment and contributions. To learn more about the objectives and methodologies of Living Labs, please visit our dedicated page.