Nets4Dem envisions a future where all Europeans have a voice in decision-making processes and public authorities embed meaningful citizen engagement into their cultures and structures.
Innovating democracy,
together
Nets4Dem is a network of networks, creating a hub for collaboration and advanced research in the field of democratic innovation, civic deliberation, participation and citizenship education.
Nets4Dem unites policymakers, practitioners and researchers, to strengthen our joint capacity to implement innovative democracy initiatives at local, national and European levels.
Through the network we cover
200
Cities
50
Think tanks and universities
38
European countries
320
Civil society organisations
Vision
Mission
Strengthen democracy by building an innovative infrastructure for connection and collaboration across the EU and associated countries based on local, national and European-wide networks.
Our story
At Nets4Dem, we believe that our democracies must become more inclusive, effective and participatory so they can rebuild trust with citizens and enable new pathways of political engagement.
Nets4Dem’s twelve founding member organisations bring together more than 200 cities, 320 civil society organisations, and over 50 think tanks and universities, covering 38 European countries, and linking to democracy-focused work in 130 countries worldwide.
Read more
Launched in June 2023 with support from Horizon Europe and led by Democracy Reporting International (DRI), the Nets4Dem project is working to address a lack of consistent approaches to democratic renewal, exacerbated by fragmented knowledge and existing silos among practitioners, researchers and organisations. It is doing so by establishing a European community for democratic innovation and providing comprehensive resources and capacity building programs to relevant stakeholders.
We live our values and this is why our governance structure is based on inclusive, participative decision-making. Our ambition is to renew European democracy by mobilising existing efforts into a cohesive movement and generating insights that advance democratic values and practices worldwide.
Be part of Nets4Dem
Join our community of policymakers, researchers and practitioners working to revive and innovate democracy in Europe.
Join our network
