Integrated SSH Partner – Citizen Science, Gamification & Co-Creation for Resilient Communities

Who we are: The Comparative Research Network (CRN) is a Berlin-based non-profit with long-standing expertise in adult education, civic participation, social innovation, circular economy, energy democracy, and community engagement. Since 2007, CRN has successfully coordinated and participated in numerous European projects, delivering methodologies bridging science/technology and civil society.

What our “Human-Centric” Package includes:

• Citizen Science & Climate Resilience: We train citizens to collect and interpret hyper-local climate data (e.g. heat islands, heavy rain, water stress), translating abstract models into actionable local knowledge — building on our Klima-Atlas and community mapping experience.

• Energy Democracy & Just Transition: Leveraging our Powering Citizens portfolio, we design inclusive governance models engaging energy-poor and vulnerable households in the transition to renewables, ensuring fair access and democratic participation.

• Gamification for Conscious Consumption: Through our Conscious Consumption (CoCo) project, we deploy blended (digital + physical) serious games to foster sustainable consumer habits in food, clothing, energy — especially among non-academic or marginalized audiences.

• Circular Skills & Education: Borrowing from CicloSchools, CircleVET, Circular Skills and Circular City, we deliver curricula, training modules and educational workshops for schools, VET providers, SMEs and social enterprises — supporting skills development and circular literacy.

• Multi-Actor Living Labs & Co-Creation: Using CRN’s MAP (Multi-Actor Prototyping) methodology and MAXICO mapping tools, we facilitate participatory processes between municipalities, businesses, civil society, and citizens — co-designing solutions adapted to local realities.

Our role in your consortium:

• Work package leader for Communication, Dissemination & Exploitation (CDE), Co-Creation / Living Labs, Citizen Science / Community Engagement, Social Impact Assessment, Education / Training / Skills Development, Behavioural Change & Social Readiness.

Ideal target calls:

• Cluster 6 (2026) destinations: Resilient Communities; Circular Economy / Bioeconomy / Textiles / Plastics; Food Systems; Energy & Just Transition; Governance / Urban & Rural Inclusion; Social Innovation.

Why choose CRN:

• We cover the full “human dimension”: from data collection to social uptake, from education to behavioural change, from community empowerment to policy readiness.

• With CRN as your SSH partner, your consortium gains a ready-to-deploy social infrastructure — ensuring high social impact, community acceptance, and long-term sustainability of technical solutions.