THE LISBON COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC COMPETITIVENESS ASBL

Their core work

The Lisbon Council is a Brussels-based think tank specializing in digital governance, public sector innovation, and evidence-based policy making across Europe. They design frameworks and tools that help governments adopt digital services, measure their performance, and ensure ethical technology deployment. Their work spans from advising on digital health ecosystems to building co-creation methodologies for citizen-centered public administration. They also contribute to science engagement initiatives, developing assessment frameworks for science literacy and citizen participation in research.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In their early H2020 period (2015–2018), the Lisbon Council focused on digital entrepreneurship, innovation policy, and the digital single market — classic economic competitiveness topics aligned with their founding mission. From 2019 onward, their work shifted decisively toward digital governance ethics, co-creation with citizens, and science engagement, with projects like ETAPAS, REINFORCE, and SALL reflecting a new emphasis on responsible and participatory approaches to technology in public life. This evolution shows a think tank that moved from asking "how do we grow the digital economy?" to "how do we govern digital technology responsibly and inclusively?"

They are moving toward responsible AI governance and citizen participation frameworks — expect them to pursue projects on trustworthy AI in public services and democratic digital transformation.

How they like to work

Predominantly a consortium partner (11 of 13 projects) rather than a coordinator, which is typical of policy think tanks that contribute expertise across many initiatives rather than managing large technical projects. With 117 unique partners across 26 countries, they maintain a very broad and diverse network — they are a connector, not a repeat-partner organization. Their consistent presence in CSA and RIA projects (6 each) suggests they are valued for both coordination support activities and substantive research contributions.

Extensive pan-European network of 117 unique partners across 26 countries, reflecting their Brussels base and policy-oriented mission. Their partnerships span government agencies, universities, and digital innovation hubs across the EU.

What sets them apart

Unlike technical research institutes, the Lisbon Council sits at the intersection of policy analysis, digital governance, and citizen engagement — they translate complex technology trends into actionable policy recommendations. Their Brussels location and think tank identity give them direct access to EU policy circles, making them an ideal partner for projects that need to influence regulation or government adoption. For consortium builders, they bring the "policy impact" dimension that funders increasingly require.

Highlights from their portfolio

• Co-VAL
  Their largest single grant (EUR 876,000) and a flagship project on value co-creation in public services — signals deep trust from the consortium in their policy expertise.
• UserCentriCities
  One of only two projects they coordinated, focused on building common digital government indicators for European cities — a direct expression of their core mission.
• ETAPAS
  Marks their pivot toward technology ethics in public administration, combining their digital governance expertise with emerging concerns about responsible AI and algorithmic decision-making.