Across Europe, policymakers and research organisations are searching for credible ways to actively involve citizens in decisions in the fields of artificial intelligence, climate adaptation, health, and democratic change. InteractionSeeds, a European project working at the intersection of science and the arts, argues that the bottleneck is rarely a lack of information. It is the lack of meaningful participation and dialogue between diverse stakeholders, citizens and policy makers.
Through the project, a diverse team of stakeholders came together to reinvent our approach to societal challenges, connecting research and the arts to bring science closer to citizens.
Over 24 months, InteractionSeeds supported 20 art science interventions across four ecosystems, fostering locally grounded collaborations between researchers, artists, cultural organisations, schools, municipalities, and reaching close to 1,200 citizens.
A broad palette of arts disciplines was mobilised and helped unlock new forms of dialogue, surface hidden needs, and build trust between citizens, researchers, local authorities, and industry. The project demonstrated that, when implemented with intention, the collaboration between Art and Science becomes a powerful level to strengthen the societal impact of research projets and engage citizens meaningfully.