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Our latest updates, thoughts, and events — as they roll out.
In Imagining Change Through Science – Demos Helsinki Research Encounters, we explored how science and research have shaped societal change.
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Demos Helsinki is currently involved in 14 Horizon Europe projects. From exploring the societal impacts of new technologies to tackling climate challenges, these projects reflect a growing demand for research that sparks systemic change. Discover how we are working across disciplines to shape fairer, more sustainable futures.
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These three research projects are: 1) Reducing polarisation via material participation (MaDem); 2) Coastal waters under pressure – safeguarding a healthy Gulf of Finland in a changing geopolitical and environmental landscape (CoWup); and 3) Safe Water for All (WaterFall).
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This policy brief focuses on short-term action (2026-2028) around AI governance and provides practical guidelines for experts and policymakers. It introduces a framework that embeds democratic pillars — participation, freedom, equality, transparency, knowledge, and the rule of law — directly into the entire AI lifecycle.
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While substantial efforts have been made to identify and address issues of environmental justice in urban areas, the question of how to consider and plan for the concerns of humans and other species remains a major challenge. This paper provides a conceptualisation of what ‘justice’ might mean from a multispecies justice (MSJ) perspective within the contexts of nature-based solutions (NBS) and urban sustainability planning. We offer a wider conceptualisation of representation, distribution and agency compared with dominant framings in NBS scholarship and provide exemplar cases on how to integrate these concepts in planning discourse. We critically discuss some of the challenges and opportunities of considering MSJ when confronted by established procedures and practices in NBS science and decision-making, focusing on (i) moving beyond existing standards for biodiversity conservation; (ii) embracing MSJ as a process and practice; and (iii) building the capacity of NBS planners to work with MSJ.
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The report provides insights into how the dominant ways of thinking about growth have taken shape and become entrenched: What has changed over the decades? And what might the future look like? Finnish discourse is also placed in the broader context of international societal and scientific debates, as well as global shifts in the operating environment.
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The summit brings together experts and practitioners across various fields, including care, housing, work, governance, economics, and technology, to collaborate on designing new care institutions for Europe. When and where? Online, 21st April 2026, 14:00–15:30 CET Care has, for too long, been treated as a standardised service to be delivered….
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Join us for an interactive deep-dive learning experience on imagining, structuring, organising and mobilising for long-term & systemic societal change. Hosted by Transition Collective in partnership with TIAL and Demos Helsinki.
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The most important policy question of 2020: Impact of climate policy on employment
October 23, 2020
“Why do we thrive to maintain economic growth if we cannot keep the planet habitable?”, stated the primary shareholder of Kone, and one of the key business figures in Finland, in the Helsingin Sanomat newspaper. The urgency of climate action is widely recognised, as is the deficit of the economy….
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Public Governance Must Be Able to Imagine a Better Future
June 9, 2020
In uncertain times, people turn their eyes towards central and local government. The importance of public governance and its role in securing the conditions in which people can lead good lives is highlighted especially now, during the COVID-19 pandemic. This article is originally published in the Finnish weekly magazine, Suomen…
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“Why Silicon Valley when you can be like Moominvalley” – We must bring people to the heart of smart city thinking
June 8, 2020
Over the last decade, people have become fascinated by smart cities and how technology can help make cities better places to live. The world’s leading smart city models, the so-called Chinese and Silicon Valley models, have been criticised for increasing public surveillance and the power of global tech companies. In…
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