FONDEN DEMOCRACY X

Their core work

Democracy X (formerly the Danish Board of Technology / Teknologirådet) specializes in citizen engagement, public participation, and responsible research and innovation (RRI) governance. They design and facilitate structured dialogue processes between citizens, researchers, policymakers, and industry — ensuring that emerging technologies develop with democratic input. Their work spans technology assessment, societal impact evaluation, and co-creation methodologies applied to fields from neuroscience to nanotechnology to energy transition. They are a go-to partner when EU projects need a credible, experienced organization to handle the public engagement and ethical governance dimensions.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In their early H2020 period (2015–2018), Democracy X combined citizen participation work (CIMULACT, EUth) with a significant role inside the Human Brain Project, likely handling the societal engagement and ethics dimensions of brain simulation research. From 2019 onward, their focus shifted decisively toward territorial RRI governance, institutional ethics systems, and science-society interfaces — projects like TeRRItoria, RRI-LEADERS, and ETHNA System reflect a move from project-level public engagement toward systemic governance frameworks. The neuroscience involvement continued through HBP SGA3 but the newer projects increasingly address how regions and institutions embed responsibility into their R&I ecosystems.

Democracy X is moving from facilitating individual engagement exercises toward designing governance systems that embed responsible innovation into regional and institutional decision-making permanently.

How they like to work

Democracy X primarily operates as an active partner (24 of 30 projects), joining large consortia to contribute their specialized engagement and RRI expertise. They coordinate selectively — 5 projects where citizen engagement or RRI governance is the central mission (CIMULACT, GoNano, ECO2, RiConfigure, SocKETs). With 389 unique partners across 38 countries, they function as a well-connected hub in the European RRI community, making them an excellent gateway to the broader responsible innovation network.

An exceptionally broad network of 389 unique partners across 38 countries, reflecting their role as a cross-sectoral RRI specialist that gets invited into diverse consortia. Their partnerships span universities, research institutes, industry, and civil society organizations across virtually all of Europe.

What sets them apart

Democracy X brings something most research organizations cannot: two decades of institutional experience in structured democratic technology assessment, rooted in the Danish Board of Technology tradition. While many organizations claim to do public engagement, Democracy X has built and tested the actual methodologies — from citizen panels to quadruple helix social labs — and has the track record to prove they work at scale. For any consortium that needs credible, well-designed citizen or multi-actor engagement as a work package, they are one of the most experienced choices in Europe.

Highlights from their portfolio

• HBP SGA3
  Largest single grant at EUR 3.08M — their role in the flagship Human Brain Project demonstrates trust to handle societal engagement for Europe's most ambitious neuroscience endeavor.
• CIMULACT
  Coordinated a pan-European citizen consultation directly shaping Horizon 2020 research priorities — a rare example of public participation influencing EU funding policy.
• GoNano
  Coordinated a project governing nanotechnology through societal engagement, combining their RRI expertise with a hard-technology domain in a way that exemplifies their unique value.