The DSISCALE project aims to support policy makers, funders and, most importantly, practitioners to scale digital social innovation (DSI) and collective awareness platforms (CAPs) in Europe and to make the most of the opportunities in using tools such as open data open hardware to address some of Europe’s biggest social challenges. Building on existing support initiatives such as www.digitalsocial.eu, it will do this by developing Europe wide innovation clusters focusing on collaboration and peer learning between funders, policy makers and practitioners on methods for scaling DSI, developing the DSI index for measuring the macro level system conditions for DSI and a series of ‘DSI futures’ which will explore future scenarios for DSI in Europe and map the emerging digital technologies that are enabling new forms of digital social innovation. Specifically DSISCALE will: • Create and facilitate an online community hub for DSI in Europe by continuing the work of www.digitalsocial.eu; • Develop an index for measuring capacity for DSI; • Facilitate European DSI clusters that enable practitioners, policy makers and DSI to collaborate and share learning; • Map current and emerging trends in DSI; • Set Learning and Policy recommendations. These key DSISCALE objectives will be achieved by bringing together resources and knowledge across different fields, technologies and disciplines, including ICT and social sciences, digital democracy the maker movement and innovation policy from across the national and european networks of Nesta, betterplace lab, Waag Society, WeMake, Barcelona Activa, ePaństwo and Fab Lab Barcelona| IAAC and that of the European Commission.

Current European research and innovation (R&I) and security policies aim to address challenges that threaten European societies by deploying security technologies. Security technologies are typically intended to promote public safety, security and increase societal resilience. At the same time, security technologies spur controversies and can have enormous societal, legal, ethical, economic and political impact. Such technologies often infringe human rights, reproduce and reinforce power imbalances and social injustice. Civil society is rarely or restrictively involved during research and development of security technologies, and thus societal concerns might not be well addressed in this process. Security technologies and R&I should not create societal mistrust or missed opportunities to jointly build societal resilience. TRANSCEND aims to improve practices of citizen and societal engagement in security R&I: to enable individuals, and organisations that speak on their behalf, to participate actively and creatively in iterative processes of design and deployment. TRANSCEND will develop a Toolbox of methods to enhance the involvement of civil society in security R&I. The Toolbox will be tested and evaluated in four pilots, in close collaboration with diverse ‘on the ground’ organisations by bringing together transdisciplinary actors from academia, government, industry and society (Quadruple Helix). The TRANSCEND Framework will present guidelines on how to design and structure meaningful civil society and public engagement for societal impact assessment for security research technologies and present domain-specific instructions for the use of the TRANSCEND toolbox. TRANSCEND will contribute to the uptake of effective methods for citizen and societal engagement throughout the EU, so that civil society are given a louder voice, a place at the right tables and security practitioners are motivated and equipped to enhance such participation.