Greek science education centre specialising in participatory learning, citizen engagement, and the social dimensions of workforce automation.
The Eugenides Foundation (IDRYMA EVGENIDOU) is a Greek research and education centre in Athens whose H2020 work centres on two connected capabilities: designing participatory science learning experiences and facilitating structured social dialogue around the human consequences of technological change. In STEM4youth, they brought inquiry-based pedagogy and citizen science methodology to a pan-European effort to make science accessible and career-relevant for young people. In WE-TRANSFORM, they applied those same participatory tools — collective intelligence processes, living hubs, action-oriented agendas — to the challenge of how transport workers and organisations can shape and navigate the automation transition. Their distinct value is translating complex science and technology questions into processes that involve non-expert audiences as active contributors, not passive recipients.
STEM4youth (2016-2018) was built around enquiry-based learning, citizen science experiments, and hands-on activities designed to connect scientific challenges to real careers and daily life.
Both projects rely on participatory design — from interactive science storytelling with students in STEM4youth to collective intelligence facilitation and social debate framing in WE-TRANSFORM.
WE-TRANSFORM (2020-2024) addressed labour restructuring, skills gaps, and working conditions as transport automation advances, with the foundation contributing engagement and co-creation methodology.
WE-TRANSFORM introduced living hub and action-oriented agenda approaches, suggesting movement toward co-design governance models beyond traditional dissemination.
In the early period (2016-2018) the foundation focused squarely on science education methodology — how to make STEM tangible and motivating through citizen science experiments, engineering design processes, and interactive storytelling. By 2020-2024 the focus had pivoted decisively toward the social and labour dimensions of technology adoption: automation, skills restructuring, participatory governance of change, and collective knowledge-building among workers and communities. The connecting thread across both phases is structured participation — first with learners, then with the workforce — suggesting a deliberate broadening from educational engagement into applied social research on technology transitions.
They are positioning themselves as a platform for participatory social dialogue around technology transitions, which makes them a natural fit for future projects addressing the human side of both the green and digital transitions.
The Eugenides Foundation has participated exclusively as a project partner across both H2020 projects, never taking a coordination role — a pattern consistent with an organisation that contributes specialist methodology (participatory design, science communication) rather than managing consortia. What is notable is the breadth of their network: 42 distinct partners across 18 countries from just two projects, reflecting the large multi-actor consortia typical of CSA and RIA projects in societal research. This suggests they are genuinely embedded in pan-European education and transport research networks and are valued enough to be repeatedly invited into large collaborative efforts.
With 42 unique consortium partners across 18 countries drawn from only two projects, the foundation operates within unusually broad European consortia for an organisation of its size. Their network spans education, transport, and social research communities across Europe, though no geographic sub-specialisation is visible in the available data.
Few research centres can credibly bridge science education methodology and the sociology of workforce transformation — the Eugenides Foundation's project history shows exactly that arc, making them an unusual asset for consortia that need both rigorous engagement design and dissemination to non-academic audiences. A project coordinator building a team around technology adoption, future of work, or public understanding of science would find them a low-overhead, high-credibility partner who brings tested participatory processes rather than abstract advisory capacity. Their Athens base also offers access to Southeast European education and labour networks that are underrepresented in many pan-European consortia.
