STEP · Project

Cloud Platform That Helps Governments Engage Citizens in Environmental Decisions

environmentPilotedTRL 7

Imagine your city wants to build a new waste facility or change recycling rules, but nobody under 30 shows up to public consultations. STEP built a mobile app and web platform — think of it as a civic engagement toolkit with social media smarts, gamification, and automatic translation — so young people can actually weigh in on environmental decisions from their phones. They tested it across four countries with thousands of real users and real municipalities making real policy decisions.

By the numbers

8,200

Young users involved in pilot testing

Policy makers participating in pilots

Decision-making procedures tested

Pilot locations across Europe (Italy, Spain, Greece, Turkey)

Partners in the consortium

Countries represented in the consortium

The business problem

What needed solving

Municipalities and regional authorities across Europe struggle to engage young citizens in environmental decision-making. Traditional public consultations attract older demographics, leaving policy makers without input from the generation most affected by long-term environmental choices. Companies involved in environmental projects (waste management, infrastructure, energy) face public opposition that could be mitigated through better early-stage engagement.

The solution

What was built

A cloud-based eParticipation SaaS platform available as both a mobile app and web application. Key components include social media mining and analytics tools, gamification features to motivate participation, machine translation for multilingual use, and data visualization. The platform was fully integrated, tested, and refined based on user feedback during 4 operational pilots.

Audience

Who needs this

GovTech companies building citizen engagement or smart city productsEnvironmental consultancies running public participation processesWaste management companies facing community opposition to new facilitiesMunicipal authorities wanting to modernize public consultationUrban planning firms needing digital engagement tools for environmental assessments

Business applications

Who can put this to work

GovTech / Municipal Services

SME

Target: Software companies serving local governments with citizen engagement or smart city tools

If you are a GovTech company struggling to help municipalities reach younger demographics during public consultations — this project developed a cloud SaaS platform tested with 8,200 young users and 85 policy makers across 4 countries. It combines social media mining, gamification, and machine translation to boost participation in environmental decision-making. The platform was piloted with real municipalities and a regional authority, and a business strategy for wide deployment was developed.

Environmental Consulting

mid-size

Target: Environmental consultancies that run public engagement processes for infrastructure or waste management projects

If you are an environmental consultancy that needs to demonstrate genuine public engagement for environmental impact assessments — this project built a tested eParticipation platform that was used across 65 decision-making procedures on environmental issues. It includes social media analytics to monitor public sentiment and visualization tools that make complex environmental data accessible to non-experts. The platform was adapted based on real user feedback during pilot operations.

Waste Management

any

Target: Waste management companies facing public opposition to new facilities or policy changes

If you are a waste management company dealing with community resistance to new sites or service changes — this project created a citizen engagement platform specifically designed for environmental issues. Tested in 4 pilot locations with municipal authorities in Italy, Spain, Greece, and Turkey, the tool helped run structured consultations with young citizens. Its gamification features increased motivation to participate, giving you a way to gather genuine public input before decisions are made.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to license or deploy this platform?

The project data does not include specific licensing costs. STEP was developed as a cloud SaaS platform with reusable components that can be deployed individually or in combinations. The coordinator DRAXIS ENVIRONMENTAL SA (a Greek SME) developed a business strategy for wide take-up, so commercial terms would need to be discussed directly with them.

Can this platform scale beyond the pilot cities?

Yes, scalability was explicitly assessed as part of the project. The platform was tested across 4 countries (Italy, Spain, Greece, Turkey) with 8,200 users and 85 policy makers, and it includes machine translation for multilingual deployment. The project specifically identified organisations that could be involved in wide-scale deployment.

Who owns the intellectual property?

Based on available project data, the IP would be held by the 15-partner consortium led by DRAXIS ENVIRONMENTAL SA. The project developed both an integrated platform and individual reusable components, suggesting modular licensing may be possible. Specific IP terms would need to be negotiated with the coordinator.

Does this meet regulatory requirements for public consultation?

The platform was tested in 65 decision-making procedures involving real municipalities and a regional authority. It was designed to embed open engagement in public sector processes. However, specific regulatory compliance (e.g., Aarhus Convention requirements) would need to be verified for your jurisdiction.

How long does it take to deploy?

Based on available project data, the platform is cloud-based (SaaS), which typically allows faster deployment than on-premise solutions. The project ran pilots across 4 locations simultaneously, and platform adaptations were made based on user feedback during pilot operation. Deployment timelines would depend on customization needs for your specific context.

Can this integrate with existing municipal IT systems?

The platform was built as a cloud SaaS solution with modular, reusable components. It includes web and mobile interfaces, social media analytics, and visualization tools. Based on the deliverable descriptions, the integrated platform went through dedicated testing procedures, but specific API or integration capabilities would need to be confirmed with the development team.

Consortium

Who built it

The 15-partner consortium spans 8 countries (CZ, DE, EL, ES, IT, SE, TR, UK) with a strong industry presence — 7 industry partners including 4 SMEs, making up 47% of the consortium. Led by DRAXIS ENVIRONMENTAL SA, a Greek SME specializing in environmental technology, the consortium also includes 1 university, 1 research organization, and 6 other entities (likely municipalities and public bodies that served as pilot hosts). This industry-heavy mix with a commercial SME as coordinator signals genuine intent to bring the platform to market, not just publish papers.

DRAXIS ENVIRONMENTAL SACoordinator · EL
THE UNIVERSITY COURT OF ABERTAY UNIVERSITYparticipant · UK
ETHNIKO KENTRO EREVNAS KAI TECHNOLOGIKIS ANAPTYXISparticipant · EL
INMARK EUROPA SAparticipant · ES
LINGUATEC GMBHparticipant · DE
KRITIparticipant · EL
HATAY METROPOLITAN MUNICIPALITYparticipant · TR
Sampas Bilisim Ve Iletisim Sistemleri Sanayi Ve Ticaret A.S.participant · TR
KAIROS FUTURE AKTIEBOLAGparticipant · SE

How to reach the team

DRAXIS ENVIRONMENTAL SA is a Greek environmental technology SME. SciTransfer can facilitate an introduction to discuss licensing, deployment, or partnership options.

Order a report on this consortium See DRAXIS ENVIRONMENTAL SA profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to deploy citizen engagement tools for environmental decisions in your municipality or region? SciTransfer can connect you with the STEP team and help evaluate fit for your specific needs.

Order a report on this topic More in Environment & Climate