The Fraunhofer IMW has set up a database on citizen engagement with participation formats (activities), goals and organisational requirements to support municipalities plan better citizen engagement activities. The database aims to provide an overview and suggestions for possible engagement formats that users can filter according to specified criteria.

Citizen engagement – or the effort to include citizens in the planning and implementation processes, allowing them to express their opinions and actively participate- is one of the overarching topics in the energy transition.

One of the main challenges is that this could be done in very different ways. There is a wide variety of formats to choose according to purpose and target groups. The framework conditions for each project are very different, so the planning requires a high degree of flexibility and a certain willingness to experiment.