Loading… DEMO-net is a Network of Excellence funded by the European Commission DEMO-net: Overall Project Presentation

Fact Sheet DEMO_net Contract Number: FP IST-4, Duration: 4 years Budget: € EC funding: €

The Consortium (1) Digital North Denmark (DK) The University of Leeds (UK) Örebro University (S) University of Koblenz (D) Fraunhofer AIS (D) University of Bremen, ifib (D) University of Macedonia (GR) National Technical University of Athens (GR) Copenhagen Business School (DK) Aalborg University (DK)

The Consortium (2) Fondation Nationale des Sciences Politiques, FNSP (F) Technical University of Košice (SK) Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (IT) University of Bergamo (IT) Yorkshire and Humber Assembly (UK) European Projects & Management Agency / Vysocina Region, EPMA (CZ) Napier University (UK) University of Iceland (IS) University of Helsinki (SF) University of Southern California (US)

DEMO-net Objective To strengthen scientific, technological & social research excellence in eParticipation: 1.To achieve a lasting integration of currently fragmented research in eParticipation 2.To stimulate joint research in DEMO-net's agreed research areas 3.To disseminate DEMO-net research amongst eParticipation stakeholders 4.To provide a barometer of research effectiveness for eParticipation in Europe by establishing a corpus of lessons-learnt resource to show what kind of projects have delivered what kind of results and thereby considered effective for eParticipation.

Objectives will be achieved by –Co-ordinate & integrate research activities clustered around the research objectives –Analyse existing eParticipation research across Europe –Mobilise relationships among all stakeholders –Achieve co-operation between government & academia to improve quality of research & understanding –Provide technology platform for discussion, co-operation & data exchange –Disseminate research outcomes for the benefit of researchers, government & citizens –Ensure growth and sustainability

Research Objectives 1.Establish a corpus of material of empirically based research and policy documents related to eParticipation –Research knowledge architectures to support access to corpus –Research interfaces to support evidence-based decision-making 2.Investigate barriers to eParticipation across Europe –Research discourse analysis techniques to explore agenda setting, and alliance building at different levels. –Map of current & emergent eParticipation technological infrastructures eParticipation methods. 3.Establish criteria for evaluation of future eParticipation initiatives in a systematic & standardised way –Harmonise & align concepts, terminology & methods from academic disciplines. from the various non-academic stakeholders, eg European, national, regional and local governments

Integration Strategy - 1 Integration Plan –Investigation of integration challenges and how to overcome them –Setting up European eParticipation virtual research centre –Exchange of researchers between institutions –Placement of researchers in regions –Focused workshops –PhD student seminars –Students’ exchange programs –Students’ field studies

Integration Strategy - 2 Joint Research Programme –Gap analysis and roadmap –Knowledge and collaboration platform –Application and use –Large scale discourse analysis – eParticipation tools and methods –Management of diverse information and knowledge –Virtual Communities –Large scale public participation –How and what to evaluate –Emerging standards and business models –Transferability of concepts, methods, standards, tools etc

Integration Strategy - 3 Spreading of Excellence Plan –Planning –Requirements of supporting Technical Infrastructure –Training Activities –Dissemination and Promotion activities Consortium Management

DEMO-net partner relationships Other research groups in Europe Research groups contracted to DEMO-net R&D groups outside EU R&D Authorities Industry Regions Industry DEMO-net: building the eParticipation community Eg: the EU-NSF networking at eGov

DEMO-net will deliver Virtual centre of excellence in eParticipation research which will ensure: –Research community that advances IST applicable to eParticipation & an environment that encourages collaboration –Sustainable eParticipation research community –Significant contribution to PhD development –Critical exposure of researchers to pressing democratic problems –Significant input to government policy development for citizen engagement both in individual EU countries and the EU as a whole

Overall aims The DEMO-net project aims to to promote and develop technological and socio-technical excellence in the emerging field of e-Participation. build on the experience accumulated by leading European research organisations that have studied the underlying principles of e- Participation and actively worked with governments across Europe in applying and evaluating e-Participation

Loading… DEMO-net is a Network of Excellence funded by the European Commission Work Packages

WP1: Integration Strategy -Collects barriers and challenges from WP2-6 -Legal, institutional, cultural, linguistic, professional, infrastructural and financial -Will develop a coherent integration framework which address 3 dimensions of integration -Research among disciplines -Research and application -Geographical dispersement

WP2: Educational and student exchange -Develop educational and support structures for research students in eParticipation -Ensure a common body of research knowledge in eParticipation -Puts in place funding mechanisms for: -cross fertilisation of ideas -development of connections with regional innovation programmes -Identification of emerging research agendas

WP3: Research exchange programme -Promotes cooperation between technical and socio-technical researchers, government specialists and industry specialists -Aims to: -create cross-disciplinary teams working on research and innovation projects -develop funding opportunities for new projects -stimulate wide discussion and dissemination of research results to develop and stabilise expert networks

WP4: Setting challenges -Identify and respond to developing global research and innovation challenges in eParticipation -Analyse the European eParticipation research landscape, comparing it with international developments -Develop research agenda and roadmaps to govern future direction and future of network -Put together research teams and thematic networks to respond to evolving challenges

WP5: Joined eParticipation technical research -Understand existing tools and technologies used for eParticipation -Analyse the technical challenges of eParticipation -Develop standards and ontologies for information structuring -Utilise methods of Knowledge Management for large scale eParticipation

WP6: Joined eParticipation socio- technical research -Develop the theoretical basis for cross- disciplinary socio-technical research in eParticipation to introduce and implement eParticipation in different application areas -Establish ways to support internal relevance (quality of online discourse) and external relevance (way eParticipation outcomes are used by political actors) -Support socio-technical theoretical basis of technical solutions and their implementation

WP7: Establishing information infrastructure for the NoE programme -Gather fragmented research and best practice in eParticipation -Provide an infrastructure for management of the network -Design and construct a suitable collaborative and knowledge platform -Develop a business model for the sustainability of the information feeding from within and outside the network partners

WP8: Dissemination -Disseminate and demonstrate the project’s results -Inform eParticipation stakeholders in Europe about DEMO-net and possibilities for cooperation -Prepare relevant training material