Call for expression of interest to join the community of practice

The European Commission’s Knowledge Centre on Migration and Demography (KCMD), operated by the Joint Research Centre (JRC), invite organisations and individuals to join a new European Commission Community of Practice (CoP) on Demography.

What is the Community of Practice (CoP)?

The CoP will bring together policymakers, researchers, practitioners and experts on demographic issues across Europe, providing a continuous, structured space for collaboration. It will facilitate knowledge exchange and bridge research and policy. Its activities will support the Commission’s demographic initiatives, including the Demography Forum and the Longevity Roadmap, by distilling knowledge and information, co‑creating evidence for EU, national and regional policy‑making, integrating demographic insights into wider EU policies and exploring connections with other priority areas.

Working groups

The CoP will operate a number of thematic working groups — smaller, focused subgroups that dive deeper into specific topics. Members are encouraged to join one or more working groups according to their expertise and interests. We have identified the following initial working groups based on current Commission priorities. 

• Longevity and ageing societies – exploring the implications of increased life expectancy, healthy ageing strategies and long‑term care needs across Europe.
• Territorial development – addressing regional demographic disparities, rural depopulation, urbanisation trends and place‑based policy responses.
• Fertility, family and child policies – examining factors influencing fertility decisions, family support mechanisms and policies to promote family wellbeing.
• Horizon scanning – identifying emerging demographic trends, new policy challenges and early signals that may shape future priorities.
• Data landscape and collection – mapping existing demographic data sources, improving data harmonisation and addressing gaps in availability and comparability.
• Demographic pulse survey – designing and implementing a survey to track stakeholder perceptions and priorities regarding demographic change across Europe.

Other working groups may be created as the CoP develops. Each working group will designate its own chair and define its work plan and timeline, ensuring ownership and alignment with pre-defined objectives and priorities.

Who can participate?

Expressions of interest are welcome from: 

• Practitioners – policymakers from EU institutions, Member‑State administrations and regional bodies with experience or interest in demographic change, population ageing and/or longevity, or their impacts.
• Experts & researchers – specialists in demography and its impacts, including from academic institutions and think tanks.
• International organisations, NGOs  and civil‑society groups with related interests.
• Private sector representatives with a stake in demographic trends, such as human resources, healthcare, insurance, housing and urban planning.

Participation is voluntary and incurs no financial commitment.

How does the CoP operate?

The CoP will operate primarily online, within the infrastructure of the Atlas of Demography. The JRC will provide the IT platform and infrastructure, along with collaborative tools (working groups, shared workspaces), engagement methods (webinars, workshops, peer review sessions), co-design methods (horizon scanning, EU Policy Lab) and communication tools (e.g. blogs). The outputs of the Community of Practice will be disseminated via the Atlas of Demography and in relevant EU-level events.

How can members contribute?
Members may share demographic data and tools, provide best practice guidelines, take part in working groups, workshops, webinars and peer review sessions, co‑author case studies or policy briefs, and support training and dissemination activities.

What is the Atlas of Demography?

The Atlas of Demography is an online, interactive knowledge hub that brings together expert knowledge, trusted demographic data (e.g. Eurostat, UNDESA) and clear visualisations. It summarises demographic analyses and delivers concise narrative reports that translate scientific findings into policy‑relevant insights at global, national and local scales. It functions as the primary knowledge hub for EU policymaking in demography related areas. 

NB. The Atlas of Demography is currently under redevelopment; a brand-new platform will be launched, together with the Community of Practice, in November 2026.

How to apply

Submit your expression of interest via the online form available at: Register your interest here

For enquiries, contact: EC-kcmd@ec.europa.eu