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Our latest updates, thoughts, and events — as they roll out.

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Finland, what is our promise for future generations? 

Foresight Friday 2025 brought together policymakers and global experts to discuss Finland’s long-term responsibilities to future generations and intergenerational fairness. The question remains open, and it belongs to all of us: what is our promise for future generations?


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Initial comments on the European Commission’s Affordable Housing Plan

Housing must be made affordable while protecting the ecological systems on which we all depend. The EU could lead this transformation but it requires new ways of thinking about policy, governance, and action.


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Doomed to grow or ready to transform?

Economic growth used to be a cause that had effects, and the desired and expected effects were a matter of political and public debate until the 1990s recession. The meanings and expectations towards growth changed over time, and the idea of economic growth evolved within the debates and the very varied perspectives to growth. Our report “Doomed to Grow” calls for acknowledging growth’s historical recent origins and past pluralism in how economic growth has been discussed.


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Imagining change through science at Demos Helsinki Research Encounters

In Imagining Change Through Science – Demos Helsinki Research Encounters, we explored how science and research have shaped societal change.


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16 Horizon projects later, our goal is the same

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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Demos Helsinki is part of three SRC-funded research projects on democracy and water security

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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A new ethos for the civil service

What are the most appropriate institutional arrangements for effective governance? How can governance systems effectively operate across different levels, such as local, regional, national, and supranational? How can governments improve their capacity to evaluate policies, learn from successes and failures, and adapt to changing circumstances? By transforming the civil service, we can answer these questions.


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An operative model for implementing missions

The government must be able to find novel solutions to the greatest challenges of our time, such as the climate crisis, new security threats, an ageing population, and technological transformations. Directional mission-driven research and innovation policy provides an approach for the government to implement its strategic objectives by solving complex challenges with actors in different sectors.


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Skills and education in the sustainability transition

Over the last few years, the transition to a sustainable future has increasingly started to determine the direction of society and the economy — most notably through investments in new technologies and real capital. However, how can we make these investments matter if we lack the skills to utilise and develop them?


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  • AI
  • Business
  • Career opportinuty
  • Cities
  • Civil service
  • Construction
  • Democracy
  • Economy
  • Foresight
  • Health & Wellbeing
  • Industry & innovation
  • Justice
  • Public governance
  • Research
  • Skills & work
  • Society
  • Sustainability & climate action
  • Sustainability governance
  • Technology

Master class: Institutionalising for impact

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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