Are you working to strengthen democracy but finding it difficult to scale your idea? Whether you are running a citizens’ assembly, developing civic tech, coordinating a community forum or experimenting with new ways of involving citizens, many promising initiatives face similar barriers: limited resources, a lack of visibility, or difficulty gaining political support. You are not alone! ScaleDem is here to help you grow your impact.
Across Europe, democratic innovations often remain small or short-lived. ScaleDem works with practitioners to create the right conditions for scaling by combining research, hands-on support and practical experimentation. Our approach is structured around four scaling dimensions: Scale Out, In, Up, and Deep (you can read more about these scaling dimensions here).
We are now launching two Open Calls for organisations based in the EU or Horizon-Europe Associated Countries. The Piloting Programme supports organisations ready to test bold new ways of scaling their work, and the Twinning Programme connects mentors and mentees who want to adapt proven democratic innovations to new contexts.
In this context, we will also host two online Q&A sessions where the ScaleDem team will walk you through eligibility, selection criteria and the application process for both calls.
- 20 January 2026 from 18:00 to 20:00 CET
- 29 January 2026 from 10:00 to 12:00 CET
These sessions are open to anyone interested and are an opportunity to get direct answers to your questions!
Applications for both programmes are open from 1 December 2025 to 31 March 2026. If you are ready to expand your impact and help shape the future of democratic innovation in Europe, we encourage you to apply.
To help you prepare a strong application, we also offer optional pre-application support. If you are unsure which call is the best fit, you can submit a short declaration of interest by 31 January 2026. Tell us about your project and the scaling challenges you face, and we will provide feedback and guidance.
For any questions about the programmes, contact us at opencalls@scaledem.eu
—
Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on Unsplash