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Unterschiedliche Menschen arbeiten alleine oder zusammen an digitalen Projekten.

We have integrated the CIP community area into Civic Coding!
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AI is what we make it!

AI is what we make it! What do we mean by that? Good ideas, different fields of expertise, a variety of experience and, in particular, the shared desire to work together to advance our society – all of these aspects need to come together in order to make artificial intelligence ‘our’ AI.

In a nutshell, the Civic Innovation Platform (CIP) is all about joining forces to bring good ideas to life. After all, we believe that technical and social skills need to come together to enable societal progress. That’s why we support the human-centric development and use of AI providing benefits for the common good from the heart of society in two funding opportunities:

The CIP ‘Civic Innovation’ funding programme

The funding programme supports project groups in developing and implementing workable AI applications for the common good with a bearing on labour and social policy. The deadline for the submission of expressions of interest was 20.06.2023. Currently, the received expressions of interest are reviewed and assessed according to the funding guidelines. We would like to thank you for the numerous submissions, are looking forward to your concepts and wish all participants good luck! Soon you will find all news about the further procedure here.

The CIP ‘AI is what we make it’ idea contest

With our idea contest, we support the development of the most promising ideas for AI providing benefits for the common good into viable concepts.The third round is currently under way. 27 teams managed to convince the panel of experts at the 3rd Ideas Pitch and thus secured prize money of up to 20,000 euros. The most promising ideas were honored by Nermin Fazlic, who was entrusted with the duties of Lilian Tschan, State Secretary at the BMAS, at the award ceremony on June 5 at re:publica 2023.

Still looking for an idea for how AI can be used for the common good? Be inspired! Click here for the award-winning ideas from previous rounds of the competition..

CIP does not stand alone, but is part of Civic Coding!

True to the CIP motto ‘AI is what we make it’, CIP is an integral component of ‘Civic Coding – Innovation Network for AI for the Common Good’, a joint initiative of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (BMAS), the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (BMFSFJ) and the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV). Here, the three Ministries are joining forces, linking infrastructures, connecting communities and opening up their projects for shared use.

This is why the restricted community area of the Civic Innovation Platform has been integrated within Civic Coding. What does that mean? Members of the CIP community are now part of a larger network: the Civic Coding community. Those already registered can log in with their usual details, but now do so via the Civic Coding website. The publicly accessible area of the Civic Innovation Platform will continue to be used as a point of contact for interested parties and participants in the CIP idea contest and CIP project funding.

Visit the Civic Coding website.

News and dates

News and dates

Current Figures

47

Submissions round 3

1916

Registered users

295

Project ideas

Discover latest project ideas from the Civic Coding community

Due to the integration into Civic Coding, the previous CIP community is now much bigger - and so is the variety of ideas! Members of the Civic Coding community have access to extended information on project ideas and content, as well as various networking opportunities and other offers.

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  • Project idea

    Citizen Knowledge Graph

    Created: 20 June, 2023

    Ein Tool für Bürger um "Bürokratie-relevante" Daten (Steuernummer, etc.) zu speichern. Dies erleichtert das Ausfüllen von Formularen und ermöglicht das Durchführen von Queries auf den eigenen Daten, um kontinuierlich neue Berechtigungen und Möglichkeiten zu entdecken.

    Looking for:

    SME and start-up,
    Municipality,
    Public institution,
    Private individual,
    Association/gGmbH,
    Educational and research institution

  • Project idea

    FairSync AI

    Created: 27 March, 2023

    Einmal hin, alles drin: Derzeit werden auf hunderten Karten und Plattformen sinnvolle Veranstaltungen, Unternehmen für nachhaltigen Konsum oder Initiativen für soziales und ökologisches Engagement gesammelt und vernetzt. Das wollen wir intelligent zusammenführen und verbinden.

    Looking for:

    SME and start-up,
    Association/gGmbH,
    Educational and research institution

  • Project idea

    Mutter Erde KI: Wir geben Mutter Erde eine Stimme!

    Created: 6 March, 2023

    Wir arbeiten an einem Mutter Erde Telefon-Prototypen der im öffentlichen Raum eingesetzt werden kann. Durch die Interaktion mit "Mutter Erde" ermöglichen wir einen Perspektivenwechsel, der helfen kann die Erde als Ökosystem zu verstehen und gleichzeitig KI anfassbar zu machen.

    Looking for:

    Municipality,
    Public institution

Not the right idea for you yet? Here registered users get an insight into which ideas members of the Civic Coding community have posted.
To the ideas market of the Civic Coding community

How we support you

  • From idea to concept

    The idea contest provides financial and ideational support for the further development of ideas for AI applications for the common good – with prize money of up to €20,000 as well as networking, advice and workshops.

    To the idea contest

  • Turning ideas into reality

    In order to turn good ideas into reality, we support project groups within the framework of our ‘Civic Innovation’ funding guidelines in the form of grants that help them to develop and implement AI applications for the common good with a bearing on labour and social policy.

    To project funding

Frequently asked questions

  • We are committed to advancing the human-centric development and use of AI applications originating from the heart of society. In this sense, the Civic Innovation Platform aims to encourage more and more people to engage with AI technologies, develop them together and deploy them for the common good.

    However, CIP does not stand alone, but is instead an integral component of ‘Civic Coding – Innovation Network for AI for the Common Good’, a joint initiative of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMAS), the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV) and the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (BMFSFJ). Civic Codingalso aims to promote the development and use of AI applications for the common good by establishing structures that transcend community and departmental boundaries that will enable social innovations to emerge on the basis of digital technologies from the heart of society.

    The project is based on the German federal government's artificial intelligence strategy,  in which the federal government undertakes 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 basis of the framework of broad social dialogue and active policymaking (...)’. In this sense, the project aims to achieve broad acceptance in society and the design of technology for the benefit of the common good.

  • Funding is provided for AI technology innovations destined for the common good, such as machine learning or pattern recognition. Since the Civic Innovation Platform is a funding programme initiated by the German Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, proposals must have a clearly identifiable link to the Ministry’s activities.

    In this sense, ideas and projects for improving occupational health and safety, work culture, the labour market, work organization, transparency and explainability of AI applications, social partnership and co-determination as well as further training will be promoted in particular.

  • The Civic Innovation Platform (CIP) connects and supports actors from a wide range of fields and industries who want to use AI technologies for social and societal innovation for the benefit of as many people as possible. In doing so, we take a holistic approach: for collaborative projects that are still in their infancy, the idea contest ‘AI is what we make it’ offers project teams the opportunity to develop a project idea for an AI application for the common good into a concept eligible for funding. In addition to prize money of up to €20,000, this process is accompanied by advisory services, as well as access to networks and workshops on various project-related topics.

    With our ‘Civic Innovation’ funding programme, project groups that are already pursuing more advanced concepts can apply for funding of up to €500,000 to implement and deploy innovative AI applications in order to bring them to life for the common good.

  • The aim of the funding guidelines is to stimulate interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary work on AI projects for charitable purposes and the common good with a bearing on labour and social policy and to provide financial support of up to €500,000. In this way, we are seeking to promote the human-centric use of AI and champion the spread and perception of AI in civil society for the common good.

Display all questions

Our cooperation partners

  • Katrin Elsemann standing in a room

    Social Entrepreneurship Netzwerk Deutschland e.V.

    Katrin Elsemann, Managing Director

    "Our society is facing major upheavals. Climate change, demographic trends, urbanisation, the digitalisation of the working world and integration are just a few of these."

    To the interview
  • Oliver Suchy of the Deutsche Gewerkschaftsbund talks in front of people

    German Trade Union Confederation (DGB)

    Oliver Suchy, Head of Digital Working Worlds and Working-World Reporting

    "We hope that the Civic Innovation Platform will unleash new momentum making AI an even more fertile basis for good work and social inclusion."

    To the interview
  • Adriana Groh stands in front of a book shelf

    Prototype Fund

    Adriana Groh, Director

    "Funding for AI technology must aim to additionally promote developments with added social value in particular. Public funding for open-source software for the benefit of the common good of the type operated by the Prototype Fund renders civil society visible as a driver of innovation and an important partner."

    To the interview
  • Daniel Abbou, ein Mann mit Brille, steht vor einer Backsteinmauer.

    German AI Association

    Daniel Abbou, Managing Director

    "KI Bundesverband (the German AI Association) is very pleased to be involved in the Civic Innovation Platform as a partner. Artificial intelligence can unleash positive effects in many areas of society."

    To the interview
  • Matthias Peissner standing in front of a wall.

    Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering IAO

    Dr Matthias Peissner, Director at the Institute, Head of Human-Technology Interaction Research Unit

    "The technologies of artificial intelligence, particularly machine learning, harbour potential for radical change in nearly all parts of the economy and our lives. Ultimately, however, it always boils down to the question as to what contribution a technological innovation can make towards a better world. And AI can indeed!"

    To the interview
  • Annika Krellmann

    Kommunale Gemeinschaftsstelle für Verwaltungsmanagement (KGSt)

    Anika Krellmann, Organisation and Information Management Officer at KGSt

    "Without people, AI is nothing more than a technology. We need innovations to improve living, working and general conditions in municipalities."

    To the interview
  • Portrait of Andreas Bethke

    Deutscher Blinden- und Sehbehindertenverband e.V.

    Andreas Bethke, Managing Director

    "Digitalisation and artificial intelligence can take us a step forward on our path towards an inclusive society, provided that they are systematically designed and implemented on a barrier-free basis."

    To the interview
  • Portrait of a young woman, Alexandra Ortloff of Bundesverband Deutsche Startups e.V.

    Bundesverband Deutsche Startups e.V.

    Alexandra Ortloff, Politics Team Leader

    "AI is one of the key technologies of the future and is already playing an important role for start-ups today. As we see it, it is of crucial importance for this technology to be used for business models geared to the common good."

    Learn more
  • Gerhard Timm

    Federal Association of Non-statutory Welfare (BAGFW)

    Dr Gerhard Timm, Managing Director

    "AI technologies will change our world profoundly over the coming years and decades. There are very alarming scenarios of a totalitarian state that uses AI to cement old relationships rooted in exploitation for the future. However, there are also scenarios in which these technologies are harnessed to advance humanist values."

    Image: © BAGFW/Dirk Hasskarl

    Learn more

Learn more by clicking on the logos.

  • Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund - German Trade Union Confederation
  • Prototype Fund
  • Fraunhofer-Institut für Arbeitswissenschaft und Organisation IAO - Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering IAO
  • Social Entrepreneurship Netzwerk Deutschland e.V.
  • KGSt - Kommunale Gemeinschaftsstelle für Verwaltungsmanagement
  • Bundesverband Deutsche Startups e.V.
  • Deutscher Blinden- und Sehbehindertenverband e.V.
  • Federal Association of Non-statutory Welfare - BAGFW - Bundesarbeitsgemeinschaft der freien Wohlfahrtspflege, AWO, Caritas, Parität, Deutsches Rotes Kreuz, Diakonie, ZWST
  • KI Bundesverband - German AI Association
Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs - External link to BMAS
Denkfabrik - External link to BMAS - Policy Lab The Policy Lab of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs