Skip to main content
Knowledge4Policy
Knowledge4Policy (K4P)

Supporting policy with scientific evidence

We mobilise people and resources to create, curate, make sense of and use knowledge to inform policymaking across Europe.

Training for local, regional and national public administrations and future trainers

The European Commission’s Competence Centre on Participatory and Deliberative Democracy (CC-DEMOS) offers a free online training on citizen engagement processes based on co-creation and deliberation for public administrations at local, regional and national level.

  • Projects and activities | 02 Sep 2026
Participatory and Deliberative Democracy (CC-DEMOS)

Brief me

Competence Centre on Participatory and Deliberative Democracy

This training offer aims to sustain the first Commission’s priority on a Free and Democratic Europe and the focus on developing a European Democracy Shield to protect European democracies and beyond. Late 2023, the European Commission adopted a Recommendation to Member States on Civic engagement in policymaking under the Defence of Democracy Package. This Recommendation is the EU legal basis that sustains the construction of a deliberative democracy infrastructure across EU Member States.

What we offer

CC-DEMOS offers a unique opportunity to learn state-of-the-art skills on citizen participation. CC-DEMOS has partnered with Democracy X and ifok to develop a training package for public administrations that reflects the ambition and the vision for innovative policymaking as enshrined in the Commission's Competences Framework for Policymaking, which includes the engagement of citizens as one of the seven core clusters of competences that future policymakers should acquire. 

The training addresses three levels of competence in citizen participation: 1) basic, 2) advanced and 3) train-the-trainers (ToT). For each level, precise learning outcomes are defined. The three course are available online in the EU Academy platform. 

The basic level is offered as a single course, whereas the advanced and the train-the-trainer levels are organised into modules (ten for the advanced, eleven for the ToT). The structure of the courses combines self-paced learning with moderated live sessions. They feature interactive learning based on case studies, forums of discussion, moderated live sessions and practical exercises. 

 

Basic level: a quick start for public administrators
training on citizen engagement - basic

The basic training is for public administration officials, civil servants and other government professionals who seek to acquire the basic and intermediary knowledge and hands-on skills to understand and organise participatory processes on their own.  

The training requires about 16 hours to complete, and you can pace your learning over four weeks. The course begins with a mandatory onboarding live session. 

 

Advanced level: an in-depth dive for public administrators
training on citizen engagement - advance

The advanced training is for public administration officials, civil servants and other government professionals who want to deepen their knowledge and skills for designing and implementing participatory processes with impact. 

The training consists of 10 modules, two of which are compulsory while the others can be assembled into 'competence packages'. Each module requires around 5 hours to complete, and you can pace your learning over nine weeks. The course begins with a mandatory onboarding live session.

 

Training of Trainers: a mastery programme in co-creation and deliberative processes

The Training of Trainers (ToT) is for public administration professionals as well as organisations providing capacity-building activities and services to public administrations who seek a comprehensive set of knowledge, competences, skills and teaching material on citizen engagement. 

The training consists of 11 modules, three of which are compulsory while the others can be assembled into 'competence packages'. Each module requires around 5-6 hours to complete, and you can pace your learning over nine weeks. The course begins with a mandatory onboarding live session.

What can you expect?

Learn at your own pace 

You will have access to the course materials, the forums and the moderated live session for the entire duration of each course.  

Tailored choice of modules 

The advanced level and the ToT courses are modular. While there are foundational modules that are compulsory (two for the advanced and three for the ToT courses), the two trainings offer participants the choice to focus on three specific competence packages.  

Learning material 

You will have access to interactive reading material directly in EU Academy and will be able to download a digital course-book of the course. 

Learning with your fellow learners  

The course hosts special forums with prompted activities for consolidating knowledge and skills and exchange with your fellow colleagues, and live sessions with practical exercises and group sessions moderated by experts in the field.  

Moderation by experts in citizen engagement 

All activities are accessible and moderated in the EU Academy platform by experts in the field. 

Certification

Each course offers a certificate of completion that can be downloaded after completing all required activities and assignments, and a feedback form. 

What we expect from you

Commitment to the timeframe of the course 

The current courses can be accessed via the EU Academy only within the selected timeframe. Activities and assignments must be completed within the set timeframe in view of receiving the final certificate. After the closing date of each course, participants will have one more week for filling in the feedback form of the course and receive their certificate. Beyond this time, participants will no longer be able to receive their certificate. 

Completion of compulsory activities 

The onboarding live session in each course is compulsory for attending the rest of the training. Once enrolled in the EU Academy, participants must complete all the activities in the course if they choose the basic course, and in the relevant modules (i.e., compulsory and related to the competence package of their choice) if they choose the advanced or the ToT course. In addition, participants of the ToT will have to complete a final assignment where they will record a short lecture.  

Preparation ahead of live sessions 

Except onboarding sessions, live sessions are not compulsory but highly recommended. To get the most out of them, we ask you to read the material beforehand by checking the learning content in its digital (course-book) or interactive version. During the sessions the moderators will discuss the material with the participants, address examples and organise group-work. Some activities may require you to coordinate with your peers. 

 

Expressions of Interest

  • CC-DEMOS will select participants based on their motivation and background, and the nature of the organisation.
  • If by the cut-off date we reached the maximum number of eligible participants (100 per course), we will select the eligible participants in order of application.
  • You will receive an email informing you of the outcome with detailed information about access to the EU Academy platform and live sessions.

New dates will soon be available for end-2026. Please check here for new updates.

Latest knowledge from this Project

More information and links
Geographic coverageEU
Originally Published

02 Sep 2026

Knowledge service | MetadataParticipatory and Deliberative Democracy (CC-DEMOS)
Related organisation(s)JRC - Joint Research Centre
Digital Europa Thesaurus (DET)participatory democracy
Related reading
PROJECTS AND ACTIVITIES | 27 Aug 2026
JRC Makerspace
The JRC Makerspace is designed to promote active participation, knowledge sharing, and scientific research through open-ended exploration and experimentation.
PROJECTS AND ACTIVITIES | 27 Aug 2026
STING (Science and Technology for Pollinating Insects)
The Science and Technology for PollinatING Insects (STING) project is a collaboration of the Directorate-General for Environment and the Joint Research Centre (JRC), initiated in 2018.
More
Privacy statements, terms and conditions.
You will be directed to the EU Login website where you can login/register as a user. Once connected, your credentials (First name, last name, username, email) will be registered in Knowledge4policy as part of your profile, which will allow you to get involved in all Knowledge4policy communities (help is available).
You are leaving EUROPA

You are about to navigate to an external website. Please note that we are not responsible for its content.