Over the past twelve months, the project’s research team has started to unpack that question, mapping hundreds of cases in a Knowledge Map and publishing a first interim Policy Report that traces how democratic innovations do (or do not) scale. This work shows that scaling is not just “doing more of the same”, but can happen in different directions, and most importantly, through a diversity of pathways:

• out to more people and places,
• up into institutions and policies,
• deep into cultures and mindsets,
• and in through stronger internal capacities and processes.

One year on, that work now moves into practice. ScaleDem just opened two new calls for organisations interested in joining the project team in exploring concrete strategies for scaling. 

Two programmes focused on scaling

The Scaling Grounds consist of two 12-month programmes:

• Piloting Programme: for organisations that already run a democracy-strengthening initiative and want to test a new scaling strategy in their own context. This might involve, for example, making a one-off deliberative process a regular part of decision-making, reaching groups who have been largely absent from participation so far, or adjusting internal procedures so that an innovation can survive beyond a single project or political mandate. Selected pilots can receive up to €100,000 to design, implement and document their scaling approach.
• Twinning Programme: for organisations that want to transfer and adapt a scaling approach that has already been tried elsewhere. Each Twinning project brings together one mentor organisation and up to four mentees in a small community of practice. The mentor shares its experience of tackling a specific scaling challenge (for instance, securing institutional backing or building long-term engagement), while mentees test adapted versions in their own settings. Each Twinning community can access up to €65,500, shared among participants.

In both programmes, the focus is on strategies and conditions for scaling, rather than on developing entirely new tools from scratch.

Who can apply and by when?

Both programmes are open to a wide range of actors established in countries eligible under the Horizon Europe programme. This includes public authorities at local, regional and national level, civil society organisations and NGOs, cooperatives and other mission-driven companies, research teams, labs and universities, as well as coalitions or networks.

>> Applications are open until 31 March 2026.

Organisations can also use an optional Decision Helper / Declaration of Interest, available until 31 January 2026, to receive guidance before submitting a full proposal.

Feeding practice back into research

The Scaling Grounds will build directly on ScaleDem’s analytical work and will, in turn, generate new evidence for it. Participating pilots and twinnings will document what helps or hinders scaling in real-world conditions, and these insights will be fed back into the project’s Theory of Scaling, Knowledge Map and practical tools for policymakers and practitioners.

In this way, the open calls broaden participation in ScaleDem itself: organisations do not only receive funding and support, but also contribute to a shared effort to better understand how democratic innovations can be scaled in Europe.

Further information, including the full call texts, Guides for Applicants, Q&A and registration for information sessions, planned in January, is available on the ScaleDem website’s Open Calls page.