DIGITAL CIVIC INCUBATOR

Digital Civic Incubator (DCI) is an initiative developed in Romania that fully aligns with the Council of Europe’s Digital Citizenship Education Road Map (2027–2031) and the Reference Framework of Competences for Democratic Culture.

DCI emerges at a moment when Europe is facing profound democratic and technological shifts. Young people grow into digital environments where participation, truth and trust are increasingly fragile, while AI is rapidly transforming learning, communication and civic life. Schools need more than digital tools - they need democratic cultures, ethical frameworks and pedagogical innovation.

The Digital Civic Incubator offers exactly this: a whole-school transformation model that enables schools to become democratic, inclusive and future-ready. Through three interconnected pillars - Democratic Schools, Innovative Schools, and AI-Ethical Digital Schools - DCI helps students and teachers practice the competences needed to thrive in contemporary democratic societies.

Over the past three years, the program has:

• trained 3,814 teachers in democratic culture, digital citizenship and AI ethics - AI Awareness level; in 2026, we will move on to the AI ethics - AI Awareness level; in 2026, we will move on to the AI Literacy level.

• developed 39,938 students in the areas of agency, expression, critical thinking, digital behaviors, and in the third year (2026) we will develop ethical AI behaviors - AI Awareness și AI Literacy; 

• supported 38 schools across Romania in deep transformation;

• produced a few of applied research documenting how democratic and digital competences develop through everyday school practices.

DCI does not approach democracy or AI as abstract themes. Instead, it embeds them in the daily life of the school: students negotiate rules, co-create solutions, and participate in shared governance; teachers use multimodal, reflective and collaborative pedagogies; schools adopt ethical guidelines for AI use that prioritise human rights and safeguarding by design.

We believe this work aligns directly with the Council of Europe’s strategic objectives and can serve as a European demonstration model for implementing the Road Map in practice.