TICTeC Labs
From 2021 to 2023, with thanks to financial support from the National Endowment for Democracy, mySociety ran ‘TICTeC Labs’, a programme of events, working groups, grants and solutions.
The aim of TICTeC Labs was to discuss and tackle some of the biggest challenges facing the global civic tech/digital democracy sector, in order to grow the civic tech evidence base, address issues, and enhance the effectiveness and potential impact of civic tech projects.
Browse TICTeC Labs
Civic Tech Surgeries
Global gatherings to discuss the civic tech field’s biggest challenges
Action Labs
Working groups to discuss and decide on solutions to commission
Grants and solutions
To help tackle civic tech challenges identified
Civic Tech Surgeries
Online events bringing together the global civic tech community to discuss challenges facing the sector, share existing research and experience, and identify evidence gaps and other needs. There were six surgeries across the TICTeC Labs programme, each focused on a specific theme identified by the Steering Group as a key challenge for the global civic tech sector.
Action Labs
A collaborative and action-oriented process to take forward ideas generated in civic tech surgeries and support initiatives that address common challenges. Following each Civic Tech Surgery, an Action Lab (working group) of around 6-7 people was brought together to discuss the challenges raised at the Surgery, and to decide what solutions would be useful to produce in order to address them. They then used TICTeC Grants to commission solutions. Thank you so much to all 37 members of these Action Labs for taking the time to be involved and connect.
Grants and solutions
Thanks to TICTeC Labs grants and the work of Action Lab members, six projects were carried out to help tackle common civic tech challenges, and to grow the civic tech evidence base.
Reflections event
To round off the programme, mySociety hosted an online event ‘Unlocking civic tech impact: reflections on TICTeC Labs‘ on 16th March 2023. The event featured presentations from TICTeC Labs subgrantees on the work produced thanks to the programme, and how these have met the needs identified in the Civic Tech Surgeries and Action Labs. Members of the Steering Group and Action Labs also reflected on how this experimental format worked – the successes and the challenges – and which aspects of it would be taken forward into future TICTeC activities.
TICTeC Labs steering group
In order to help guide and promote the TICTeC Labs programme, as well as to make it as relevant and inclusive as possible to local and regional contexts and contributors, we established a global TICTeC Labs Steering Group. The following exceptional people have served on the TICTeC Labs Steering Group, and we thank them for their contributions:
Neema Iyer
Founder
Pollicy
Oscar Montiel
Technology Manager
Ranking Digital Rights
Isabel Hou
Open Culture Foundation
g0v
Matt Stempeck
Technologist in Residence, Cornell University
Founder and director of the Civic Tech Field Guide
Nonso Jideofor
Funding & Partnerships Manager
Code for All
Meeting minutes
Below are minutes from all TICTeC Labs meetings.
- Steering group kick-off meeting, 30 Sep 2021
- Surgery #1, 28 Oct 2021
- Action Lab #1 meeting, 27 January 2022
- Surgery #2, 3 February 2022
- Action Lab #1 meeting, 21 February 2022
- Surgery #3, 24 March 2022
- Action Lab #2 meeting, 4 May 2022
- Steering group meeting, 6 May 2022
- Surgery #4, 12 May 2022
- Action Lab #3 meeting, 1 June 2022
- Surgery #5, 14 July 2022
- Action Lab #4 meeting, 2 August 2022
- Action Lab #5 meeting, 29 September 2022
- Surgery #6, 17 October 2022
- Action Lab #6 meeting, 10 November 2022
- Steering group meeting, 2 December 2022
The TICTeC Labs programme was made possible thanks to generous financial support from The National Endowment for Democracy (NED). We thank them for their support
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