Coldigit

Collective Intelligence Through Digital Tools

The overall purpose of the project is to generate new knowledge on innovative digital tools and approaches, in order to understand how they can support governance of complex societal processes in the Nordic region. Case studies are carried out in Gothenburg, Helsinki and Trondheim.

Project leader for the Swedish part: Jenny Stenberg, GRI, University of Gothenburg.
Funder: Nordforsk.
Budget: 10 million SEK. 
Time period: Jan 2021–Oct 2023.
Collaborating countries: Finland (project manager Mikko Rask, Helsinki University), United Kingdom, Sweden, Norway.
Participants in Sweden: Jenny Stenberg &  Jaan-Henrik Kain, GRI-GU; David Nordling, Annie Hermansson, Pierre Mesure, Sanna Ghotbi, Digidem Lab.  
Local collaboration partners in Sweden: Bostadsbolaget.
Case study area in Sweden: Biskopsgården and Hammarkullen, Gothenburg.

Purpose of the project

The overall purpose of the COLDIGIT project is to generate new knowledge on innovative digital tools and approaches, in order to understand how they can support governance of complex societal processes in the Nordic region. Previous research on such digital tools has been disciplinarily and sectorally fragmented, which has limited the horizon of related opportunities and challenges. COLDIGIT will adopt a broad view by empirically exploring various types of collective intelligence tools supported by technology (e.g., crowdsourcing, augmented reality (AR), artificial intelligence (AI), serious games, e-democracy and e-participation), in three parallel streams of co-creation: i ) co-innovation and co-funding, ii) co-production of knowledge and iii) co-construction of policies and decisions. In particular, the project will catalogue 150-200 cases of innovative digital tools, create a conceptual model of the digital ecosystem of collective intelligence, study obstacles and drivers of adoption and use of new technologies, and test innovative solutions through a series of pilots on participatory budgeting projects in Finland, Sweden, and Norway. To increase the strategic relevance of the findings, COLDIGIT will draw policy advice on how to develop and implement such tools and approaches in ways that contribute to a dynamic and responsible digital transformation of Nordic societies.

Research questions

Acknowledging the many faces and variegated and complex landscape of digital transformation in the Nordic region, COLDIGIT will focus on the following research questions: 1) What are the emerging examples of innovative CI tools and approaches that may help the public sector renew its governance practices (exploration)? 2) How can the role, potential, and limitations of CI be evaluated under the notion of “digital ecosystem of collective intelligence” (conceptual development)? 3) What are the obstacles and enabling factors that may explain the development and adaptation of new CI tools and approaches in the Nordic region (comparative analysis)? 4) How can the adaptation and scaling up of new CI based approaches be supported through piloting (testing)? 5) In which ways can digitalization of the public sector be supported through policies, regulations, and research and innovation activities (policy advice)?

Work packages

WP1 Inventory of digital CI tools supporting co-creation (Lead: SINTEF)
WP2 Conceptual modelling (Lead: UH, Co-lead: UGOT)
WP 3 Analysis of obstacles and enabling factors (Lead: Nesta)
WP4 Piloting: Experimenting innovative tools for collective intelligence (Lead: UGOT, Task leaders: UH, Digidem, Sintef)
WP5 Final studies and policy advice (Lead: Nesta, Co-lead: UH)
WP 6 Management and dissemination (Lead: UH)

Contact partners

University of Helsinki, Finland, Mikko Rask, Project manager, mikko.rask@helsinki.fi
Nesta, United Kingdom, Peter Baeck, peter.baeck@nesta.org.uk
Sintef, Norway, Jacqueline Floch, jacqueline.floch@sintef.no
University of Gothenburg, Sweden, Jenny Stenberg, jenny.stenberg@gu.se
Digidem Lab, Sweden, Pierre Mesure, pierre@digidemlab.org