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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The report proposed a new, quick-to-implement model to include experiments and behavioural approaches into Finnish policy design.
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The sustainable development goals are deeply interrelated. It is important to find measures to promote the attainment of several goals at once. To address environmental issues and to achieve
a more sustainable national economy, we need capacity for rapid social reforms and long-term decision-making that spans beyond terms of government. Recent initiatives in the circular economy and the green economy show that a will for reform exists.
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This report presents the key results of the Avain2030 project. The project aimed to support national sustainable development
efforts by building an analytical and neutral knowledge base for the implementation of
Agenda2030. Its primary purpose was to perform an analysis supporting the implementation of sustainable development goals and targets, identifying the most urgent key challenges and
opportunities for sustainable development from the national perspective.
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The next frontier for circularity is governance
September 17, 2026
For cross-cutting policy issues, like the transition to circularity, Demos Helsinki has developed a model that works: beating uncertainty through action, empowering relevant stakeholders with autonomy in problem solving, building a shared coordination structure, and adapting through learning what works. The model has been proven to move the circularity agenda forward, despite its complexity and fluctuating political significance.
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Governing with cities: Europe’s overlooked governance infrastructure
July 21, 2026
The Cities Mission functioned as a natural experiment that revealed an overlooked property of European governance: cities do not merely implement policy more effectively; they generate governing capacity and governance knowledge that Europe should intentionally incorporate into policy design through a revised multilevel governance architecture.
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The next MFF should institutionalise what mission governance has proven
July 21, 2026
The challenge for the next MFF is not to invent a new governance model, but to organise European decision-making around the governing capacity that already exists.
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