The ISEED Final Conference, entitled „Fostering Participation in Science and Democracy“ was held in Brussels, Belgium from June 11 to June 12, 2024. This milestone event marked the conclusion of the ISEED – Inclusive Science and European Democracies project, an international research initiative funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Program (2021–2024).
Coordinated by Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, the project brought together researchers from Italy, France, Poland, Norway, Denmark, Ireland, Spain, Bulgaria, Uruguay, and the United Kingdom. Over three years, ISEED worked to identify and apply lessons from citizen science engagement projects to foster inclusive, knowledge-based democratic deliberation.
The Final Conference showcased key findings and outputs of ISEED, including:
- Insights from national workshops held in Bulgaria, Poland, Italy, Spain, France, and Uruguay, where citizens, policymakers, and experts collaboratively developed recommendations for fostering participation in democratic processes at the local, national, and EU levels.
- The unveiling of the „Recommendations and Scenarios for the Possible Futures of Democracy“ report, prepared by ARC Fund, which consolidates insights and proposals from the project’s research and engagement activities.
- Demonstrations of a computational tool developed by ISEED to analyze styles of argumentation in traditional and digital media, with a focus on understanding the role of emotion and reason in polarized debates.
This conference not only celebrated the project’s achievements, but also created a space for policymakers, academics, and stakeholders to discuss practical applications of ISEED’s findings and explore new strategies to bridge the gap between science, democracy, and citizen engagement.
The report „Recommendations and Scenarios for the Possible Futures of Democracy“ is available at https://iseedeurope.eu.
