MultiPoD gathered in Barcelona to prepare the project’s next phase

On June 3rd and 4th, 2025, the MultiPoD consortium came together in Barcelona for its second plenary meeting. Hosted by the Decidim team at the Canòdrom, a space dedicated to democratic innovation, the meeting brought together partners from across Europe to reflect on progress, share insights, and coordinate the next steps of the project.

From platform demonstrations to thought-provoking discussions on engagement, ethics, and innovation, the sessions were enriched by the expertise and perspectives of brilliant minds from both technical and social sciences.

Co-creating the digital framework for inclusive participation

The discussions on the first day focused on the digital tools at the core of the MultiPoD project. The technical partners provided updates on the Decidim platform, which enables participatory processes through modular components; the webLyzard dashboard, offering multilingual data analysis and real-time insights; the Storypact editor, supporting AI-assisted content creation; and Democratic Reflection, designed to capture audience sentiment during live or recorded debates. The group also worked together in a hands-on session to build a deliberation model that is accessible, adaptable, and practical for real-world use.

Connecting communities and preparing for testing

The second day shifted the attention to community engagement and the challenges of fostering meaningful participation across languages and contexts. The agenda included planning for the upcoming pilot activities, discussions on how to remove barriers to participation, and reflections on how best to communicate the project to wider audiences. Ethical considerations and strategic planning culminated the day, helping align the consortium on shared goals for the months ahead.

We recognise both the importance and the effort involved in building cross-cultural virtual spaces for political deliberation. That is why every opportunity for open dialogue and collaboration is essential for sharing ideas and ensuring we move forward with a common vision.

The EU-funded MultiPoD project is being implemented by an international consortium headed by webLyzard technology (Austria), and composed of Universidade Nova de Lisboa (Portugal), the Centre for Governance and Sustainability Studies – Ethos Lab PC (Greece), The Open University (United Kingdom), Associació de Software Lliure Decidim (Spain), Open Source Politics (France), Storypact GmbH (Austria), Kentro Merimnas Oikogeneias Kai Paidiou – KMOP (Greece) and the European think tank Re-Imagine Europa (Belgium). The MultiPoD consortium is looking forward to continuing working together for more meaningful, diverse, and accessible democratic participation across Europe.