Established in 2024, the Swiss Research Centre on Democratic Innovations (PIDEM) is an inter-university initiative rooted in the strategic partnership between the University of Geneva and the University of Zurich (Centre for Democracy Studies Aarau). Its core mission is to advance scientific research, offer university-level teaching, and engage in impactful outreach activities within the field of democratic innovations and citizen participation.

PIDEM aims to contribute to addressing the growing challenges that democracy faces today on a global scale. Building on the legacy of the pioneering Demoscan project, launched in 2019, PIDEM explores and promotes innovative democratic practices. Demoscan introduced and tested various forms of deliberative minipublics—citizens’ assemblies composed of individuals selected by sortition— across all levels of governance in Switzerland and in close connections with both direct and representative democracy.

While the Centre’s core focus is on studying democratic innovations and citizen participation within Switzerland, its researchers are actively involved in international networks and conduct comparative studies worldwide.

PIDEM warmly welcomes visiting researchers and, in collaboration with the Demoscan association, serves as an academic platform for dialogue and cooperation with universities, schools, public administrations, NGOs, and all citizens committed to building a more inclusive, resilient, and thriving democracy—locally and globally.