£375,000 grant for multilingual and multicultural

An Open University initiative aimed at fostering multilingual and multicultural spaces for political deliberation has secured a grant of £375,000. Set to launch in January 2025, this project is designed to create inclusive public spaces that encourage political engagement and deliberation among European citizens, overcoming the challenges posed by the continent's linguistic and cultural diversity.

The project, known as "Multilingual and Multicultural Space for Political Deliberation" (MultiPoD), builds on previous EU efforts, such as the Conference for the Future of Europe, which revealed the difficulty of integrating discussions from various language groups. This new initiative aims to bridge these gaps by utilizing advanced AI technologies to support cross-cultural transformation and enhance tools that address both linguistic and cultural barriers.

Funded under the Horizon Europe framework, the project will run for 36 months. The £375,000 grant will support a range of activities, including the development of AI tools, community engagement, and organizing focus groups and citizen assemblies in cities like Lisbon, Vienna, and Athens. These funds will also be used for training AI models and purchasing necessary equipment.

Technological and community engagement

Technologically, the project aims to develop and improve existing tools for civic participation, working closely with platforms like Decidim, widely adopted for civic engagement. The project will enhance these platforms with new features, ensuring they can communicate and complement each other effectively. Additionally, a knowledge base developed by project partners in Austria will be made publicly available after the project as a deliberation dataset for community use. The project has several key objectives:

• Technological Advancements: Developing new tools and improving existing platforms for civic engagement.
• Community Engagement: Organizing focus groups and citizen assemblies to engage a wide range of communities, especially those typically underrepresented.
• Policy Impact: Facilitating better engagement and collaboration between citizens and policymakers.
• Inclusivity: Targeting and involving non-engaged communities, such as diverse cultural groups in cities like Lisbon, to ensure broad-based participation.

Success will be measured by the number of communities and individuals using the developed platforms, the extent of tool adoption by stakeholders, and the level of real-world policy impact achieved through improved civic engagement.

Addressing societal challenges

The project aligns with the societal challenges identified by The Open University’s Open Societal Challenges (OSC) platform. Lucas Anastasiou, a research assistant on the project said “This project seeks to promote inclusive democratic participation, address polarisation, and ensure evidence-based policymaking which aligns with the OSC themes of tackling inequalities, living well and sustainability. By providing underserved communities with the tools and channels to participate in political deliberations, the project aims to create a more equitable and representative policy environment, enhancing the overall quality of life and sustainability in the region.”

The project prepares for its official launch in January 2025, and it promises to be a significant step towards fostering a more inclusive and democratic Europe, where diverse voices are heard and considered in the policymaking process.