Civic Innovation Platform

Welcome to the Civic Innovation Platform!

Working together to create AI! What do we mean by that? Good ideas, different areas of speciality, a variety of experience, and, in particular, the shared desire to advance our society – all of these things need to come together in order for artificial intelligence (AI) to be deployed in such a way that it benefits everyone.

This platform is open to anyone who is interested in leveraging AI for the benefit of societal and social progress: people who know how AI works, people who know how it can be used and how it is programmed, people who have an idea of how all the knowledge waiting in its many, many databases can improve the lives and work of numerous individuals. Whether you are a programmer or involved in a start-up, a company, an association, an organisation, municipal administration or a research institute: register and contribute your thoughts! This platform will help you find exactly the people you’re looking for to help realise your idea successfully.

Turn your idea into a collaboration: register and be a part of our first idea contest ‘AI is what we make it!’. We want to help make good ideas reality.

Download invitation to the idea contest (in German, PDF, 153 KB)

How we support in different phases of your project

1. Presenting ideas and finding partners
Do you have a specific idea for making effective use of AI and thereby advancing society? On the Civic Innovation Platform you can present your idea, leave your contact data for exchange with other like-minded people and find suitable partners pursuing interests similar to your own.
Register now!
2. Developing the basic proposal together
As soon as two or more project partners come together, you can jointly work on your idea and develop a basic project proposal. We will support you by extending a helping hand and providing you with material. Perhaps you’d like to initially discuss your idea or individual issues with like-minded people on an informal basis?
To the Ideas Market
3. Proof of concept: taking part in the contest and securing 20,000 euros
Once your project proposal is ready, you can submit it for inclusion in an idea contest directly on the Civic Innovation Platform using an online form. The best ideas will be selected by a panel of experts and the winners invited to a pitch. You will then have the opportunity to present your idea to a jury or perhaps even an interested audience.
4. From the successful project proposal to the mature concept
If the jury likes your idea, we will support you both financially and conceptually in the further development of your proposal. Twice anually, up to 15 project proposals are individually awarded 20,000 euros. This will culminate in a mature concept that meets the main requirements for an application under a funding programme.
To the idea contest
5. Turning your idea into reality with project funding of up to 250,000 euros
This is where things really get down to business: to make sure that good ideas can turn into long-term sustainable projects, we fund up to ten projects a year with an amount of up to 250,000 each. If you like, you can present your project’s progress on the Civic Innovation Platform, keep the community informed of your successes as well as your setbacks and engage with others via various formats.
To project funding

Latest project ideas

22. October 2020
Einsatz von adaptiven Assistenzsystemen in Werkstätten für behinderte Menschen
Ein anpassungsfähiges Assistenzsystem, das die jeweilige Behinderungen einer Person erkennt und beim Durchführen der Arbeit dort unterstützt, wo die Person Unterstützung benötigt. So können die Menschen auch Aufgaben übernehmen, die für sie ansonsten nicht möglich gewesen wären.
Looking for:
Educational institution,
SMEs and start-ups,
Research Institute,
Commune,
Public institution,
Private person,
Association
06. October 2020
Einkaufsservice mit Gemeinnützigen Zwecken verbinden (Einkaufbote.de = EB)
EB nutzt eigene Zustellboxen. Welche wöchentlich ausgetauscht wird. EB bietet die komplette örtliche Warenvielfalt an EB fördert die Landwirte aus der Region, (Endverbraucher - Landwirt) EB Nutzt "Serviceabokarten" um keinerlei Verträge mit Kundschaft zu schließen.
Looking for:
Educational institution,
SMEs and start-ups,
Commune,
Public institution,
Private person,
Association
24. September 2020
Jobs von morgen als Karte
Immer mehr Menschen suchen erfüllende Tätigkeiten in integralen, innovativen Unternehmen von morgen. Wie können wir deren Profile auf der Karte von morgen so aufbereiten, dass sie besser gefunden werden können? Eine KI-Jobsuche, die zielsicher erkennt, was gebraucht wird.
Looking for:
Commune,
Public institution,
Association

To the market of ideas

Frequently asked questions

We define “civic innovation” as innovation processes where the driving impetus comes from within society – from people, associations, companies, organisations and institutions – and which are aimed at improving the living conditions of the general public. On top of this, we see it as encompassing all innovations that aim to advance progress in society and systematically integrate the relevant social actors and groups. The concept is based on sharing and collaboration between different disciplines, sectors and areas, openly and on an equal footing with the aim of developing solutions that can be put into practice.
Civic innovation brings together various logical approaches: what unfulfilled social needs are there regionally or cross-regionally and what new technological possibilities could help to address these needs? This is where the Civic Innovation Platform steps in: it brings together actors who by pooling their individual areas of competence – such as a precise knowledge of actual needs, ideas, methodological knowledge or technical expertise – are able to jointly develop and implement innovative solutions. At the same time, the project provides access to further assistance such as consulting, competence paring and financial support.
The Civic Innovation Platform (CIP) is targeted at the participation-oriented, socially minded technology design of artificial intelligence and is testing various tools for supporting participatory and collaborative social innovation processes. CIP is a Policy Lab Digital, Work & Society project within the German Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs. It is based on the German Federal Government's artificial intelligence strategy (only in German), in which the Federal Government undertakes among other things to develop and deploy AI “responsibly and for the benefit of the common good” and to embed it “in society on an ethical, legal, cultural and institutional basis within the framework of a broad social dialogue and active policymaking (...)”. In this sense, the project is striving for broad acceptance in society and the design of technology for the benefit of the common good.
The Civic Innovation Platform (CIP) would like to contribute to networking people from different areas (business, science, administration, civil society) with one another and thereby enabling them to develop new solutions for addressing both challenges facing society as well as needs. We want to create optimum underlying conditions that allow good ideas to evolve into innovative projects. Our attention is directed primarily toward the deployment of artificial intelligence (AI) for the benefit of everyone. Alongside the potential for innovation, the focus is also on potential for collaboration in developing ideas and projects jointly for the use of AI technology for the benefit of the common good and in putting it into practice through different types of funding as well as workshops and the provision of advice.
Funding is provided for innovations for the benefit of the common good that use AI technology − such as machine learning or pattern recognition. As the Civic Innovation Platform is a funding programme initiated by the German Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, the projects need to have a clearly identifiable link to the Ministry’s activities. This includes aspects such as the future and quality of work, occupational safety, co-determination in companies, vocational training and further education, reintegration in the labour market, pensions, integration, inclusion, diversity and equal participation.