DCitizens: Fostering Digital Civics Research and Innovation in Lisbon

While governments act as transactional providers of uniform and static services, the challenges of contemporary society require different models of service design and delivery that are built on long-term engagement, participation, and co-creation with local communities and citizens. Digital Civics posits the use of technology in the provision of relational models of public services by empowering citizens and non-state actors to co-create, take an active role in shaping agendas, making decisions about service provision, and making such provisions sustainable and resilient. DCitizens builds on those principles to achieve 5 main objectives: O1) Enhance ITI research profile and innovation competence in Digital Civics; O2) Provide training to Staff and Early Stage Researchers to build critical mass at the interface of research, local government, and the private/third sectors; O3) Establish a leading pole of excellence in Digital Civics; O4) Strengthen and expand the collaborative network between the Twinning partners; and O5) Establish a Digital Civics Research and Innovation Agenda in line with the SMART Specialization Strategy for Lisbon. We identified four interconnected Strategic Areas in Digital Civics to be strengthened with the Twinning partners’ support that provide solid ground to establish the methodology and action plan to reach these objectives. The Strategic Areas are: 1) Community-based Research Methods, 2) Emerging Technologies, 3) Design Justice, and 4) Civics, Policy, and Economic Models. Based on these areas, the project’s work plan includes a staff-exchange programme, organisation of joint scientific/training events, activities to enhance the profile of young researchers, training of research management staff, and a small citizen-led research project. The consortium includes partners from one widening country (ITI - Portugal), and three leading institutions in the field: IIT (Italy), University of Siegen (Germany), and University of Northumbria (UK).