Latest content
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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Europe’s need for care is growing and changing, and treating it as a crisis misreads the change. Demos Helsinki’s report, The European Care Contract, frames care as a transition and part of the social contract and asks how the duty to give care could become as universal as the right to receive it.
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The Circular Design Toolkit helps policymakers move beyond recycling by focusing on upstream design decisions that shape sustainable value chains and industrial transformation.
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Drawing on almost five years of Cities Mission implementation, Demos Helsinki and its partners from Dark Matter Labs and the Mission Board argue that mission governance has reached policy readiness. Its mechanisms have been tested, its governance infrastructure is in place, and it offers a transferable model for delivering on EU strategic priorities at scale.
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🗓️ Monday 26 October 2026
⏰ 10:00-12:00 (coffee served from 09:30)
📍 Sofia Helsinki, Lyhtysali (Sofiankatu 4 C, 00170 Helsinki, Finland)
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What if: Mental health through transforming the economy
June 27, 2023
What if solving the mental health crisis requires transforming the economy itself? Here, we challenge the conventional focus on individual treatments and call for a systemic shift towards addressing the socioeconomic drivers behind mental health issues.
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For a wellbeing economy, we need to transform governance
March 31, 2023
The wellbeing economy offers a new framework for governance, with wellbeing as the core objective for policy. Despite its potential, governments struggle to integrate wellbeing into governance effectively. Demos Helsinki’s work identifies key principles – participation, evidence, measurement, and long-term investments – to bridge the gap between purpose and practice, shaping a governance framework that places human and planetary wellbeing at the heart of economic strategy.
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Climate governance and cities: leading the next decade
February 14, 2023
Cities are stepping up to tackle the climate crisis, but progress is often slow. Demos Helsinki identifies four key governance strategies to break the gridlock: domain-specific governance, cultural change, city ecosystem leadership, and multi-level governance. These approaches help cities embed climate thinking in decision-making, foster collective action, and lead national and global dialogues on climate solutions. By focusing on governance, cities can effectively meet their climate targets.
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