Brussels has a unique way of turning big questions into concrete conversations. This October, the city hosted the Democracy R&D Annual Conference – two intense days (15–16 October). Nearly 300 practitioners, elected officials, researchers, and funders came together to explore one shared question: where is deliberative democracy heading?
Alongside FIDE, G1000, and Democratic Society, Missions Publiques was proud to be among the host organisations. Together, we helped shape an event true to the spirit of Brussels: a mix of public dialogues, participatory workshops, and off-the-record exchanges that got ideas flowing across the city.
The setting mattered. Belgium is one of the few countries to have integrated permanent citizens’ assemblies into its institutions – from the German-speaking Community to Brussels and Wallonia. In the capital, democratic innovations have long moved from pilot projects to established practice. A striking fact: one in five Brussels residents has already received an invitation to take part in one of the many deliberative mini publics designed to help imagine the Region’s future.
This culture of deliberation changes everything: the question is no longer whether citizen participation works, but how to make it durable, inclusive, and resilient when politics gets tough.
The theme of this year’s edition, Crossroads, took on real meaning during the session we co-designed with Nets4Dem, DemoReset, and People Powered. We began by exploring what “scaling” really means:
- Embedding practices that outlast individual projects,
- Spreading participation in all its diversity,
- Rooting it culturally so that it becomes second nature,
- And maintaining quality even as participation grows.
Twi main key lessons emerged from these exchanges.
A clear message ran through the discussions: our processes still too often speak to the already converted. To truly embed deliberation, we must involve those who are already defending democracy on the ground – social movements, local associations, cultural and educational institutions, and independent media.
In Brussels, several participants reminded us that this cultural work isn’t a luxury: it’s the backbone of a living democracy.
Scaling up democracy cannot rely solely on institutional reform (“scaling high”). It must also grow from the ground up (“scaling deep”), by bringing in new actors, and then become anchored in rules and routines (“scaling in”).
Another recurring theme was the inequality of access – to funding, training, time, and networks. If democracy becomes a luxury product, it loses its meaning.
The ScaleDem programmes we presented in Brussels aim to help close that gap.
- The Piloting Programme supports ambitious real-world experiments with up to €100,000 over 12 months, including tailored coaching.
- The Twinning Programme funds learning communities – an experienced mentor and up to four mentees – to adapt proven scaling approaches to new contexts, with funding of up to €65,000.
Both programmes foster sharing and mutual support rather than simple replication. They aim to make democracy accessible, even in politically or financially constrained contexts.
Applications open on 1 December and will be accepted until the end of March.
Finally, one message stood out: without coordination, scaling stalls.
The field of participatory democracy is now bursting with initiatives – labs, accelerators, networks, training programmes – but this abundance can also overwhelm those trying to navigate it.
If Crossroads was the theme, the takeaway is choices. Choosing cooperation over branding, choosing openness beyond our usual networks, choosing to fund first those who keep democracy alive under pressure.
Brussels didn’t give us a silver bullet – but it did give us a clearer map and a community ready to move forward together. We’re grateful to our partners and to everyone who pushed us to think and act better. We’re taking that energy with us into the ScaleDem open calls and the months of work ahead.
- To apply for ScaleDem programmes: https://scaledem.eu/open-calls/
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Nets4Dem, through its Democracy Labs, six-month Democratic Innovation Accelerator, and Rising Stars Mentorship, supports practitioners across countries.
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People Powered helps coalitions move from strategy to implementation through its Mainstreaming Participation Playbook and Accelerator.
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ScaleDem adds its Pilots and Twinnings to this mix – not as a new brand, but as another link in a shared infrastructure.
