Agora Digital Transformation

Agora Digitale Transformation (rendered in English as Agora Digital Transformation) is a German non-profit think tank that examines the opportunities of digital transformation for strengthening democracy. It describes its mission through the metaphor of democracy as the political "operating system" for citizens: how stably that system runs depends, in its view, on how digital technologies are used in the interest of citizens and in dialogue with them. The organisation therefore frames its work as producing "updates" for the operating system of democracy — practical, implementable solutions that harness the opportunities of digital transformation. The think tank is organised as a non-profit limited liability company (gemeinnützige GmbH, gGmbH). Its sole shareholder is Stiftung Mercator, which funds it with 8.6 million euros through August 2027. In addition, the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport has provided 1.2 million euros in funding for the E-Valuate project, which measures the impact of the German federal government's digital strategy. Further funding for projects and the organisation is sought as long as it is compatible with the think tank's independence and mission. Dr. Stefan Heumann is the managing director. As an organisation, Agora Digitale Transformation states that it works in a non-partisan, collaborative and evidence-based manner, with a pronounced focus on implementation and effectiveness. It seeks exchange and cooperation with innovators from civil society, public administration, academia, business and politics. Its self-described team culture is strategic and ambitious with regard to goals, rigorous and careful with regard to quality, open and appreciative internally and externally, cooperative, creative and flexible in day-to-day work, and independent, transparent and digital in its organisation. Its public output includes policy briefs, studies and online events. Examples visible on its website include a policy brief by Data Fellow Ben Shultz on deepfake pornography as an attack on politicians and democracy, presented online on 28 September, which reports that female politicians are 33 times more likely to be affected by deepfake pornography than their male colleagues, with commentary from Bundestag member Donata Vogtschmidt. A further study, conducted with project partner ZEW, screened ten significant federal digital programmes against six criteria for goal- and impact-oriented budgeting — clear goals, measurable indicators and a genuine evaluation culture — and was presented online by Prof. Dr. Heinemann on 23 September. The think tank also publishes statements on EU legislation, such as a statement by Senior Policy Fellow Dr. Gergana Baeva on the planned EU Kids Act, arguing that better platforms for everyone help more than access restrictions for children. Agora Digitale Transformation operates primarily in the German and European policy space, contributing analysis and recommendations on digital policy, platform regulation, online harms and the effectiveness of government digital programmes. It is a distinct organisation from other entities that use the "Agora" name.

Agora Digitale Transformation is a German think tank dedicated to the digital transformation and its implications for democracy. It is organised as a non-profit limited liability company (gemeinnützige GmbH, gGmbH), with Stiftung Mercator as its sole shareholder. Stiftung Mercator funds the think tank with 8.6 million euros through August 2027. In addition, the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport has provided 1.2 million euros for the E-Valuate project, which measures the impact of the German federal government's digital strategy. The organisation states that it seeks further funding for projects and the organisation as long as it is compatible with its independence and mission. Dr. Stefan Heumann serves as managing director. The think tank's mission is framed around the idea of democracy as the political "operating system" for citizens. Its work focuses on how digital technologies can be used in the interest of citizens and in dialogue with them, producing what it calls "updates" for the operating system of democracy — practical, implementable solutions. As an organisation, it describes itself as non-partisan, collaborative and evidence-based, with a strong focus on implementation and effectiveness. It cooperates with innovators from civil society, public administration, academia, business and politics. Agora Digitale Transformation publishes policy briefs, studies and statements, and hosts online events. Notable outputs include a policy brief by Data Fellow Ben Shultz on deepfake pornography as an attack on politicians and democracy, presented online on 28 September, which found that female politicians are 33 times more likely to be affected by deepfake pornography than their male colleagues, with commentary from Bundestag member Donata Vogtschmidt. A study conducted with project partner ZEW screened ten significant federal digital programmes against six criteria for goal- and impact-oriented budgeting, including clear goals, measurable indicators and a genuine evaluation culture; Prof. Dr. Heinemann presented the results in an online event on 23 September. The think tank also issued a statement on the planned EU Kids Act by Senior Policy Fellow Dr. Gergana Baeva, arguing that better platforms for everyone help more than access restrictions for children. The organisation operates primarily in the German and European digital policy space. It maintains a team and a council (Rat), and describes its working culture as strategic, ambitious, rigorous, open, cooperative, creative, flexible, independent, transparent and digital.

• Stiftung Mercator funds Agora Digitale Transformation with 8.6 million euros through August 2027

• Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport provides 1.2 million euros for the E-Valuate project

• Online event on 23 September presenting ZEW study on goal- and impact-oriented budgeting in digital policy

• Online event on 28 September presenting policy brief on deepfake pornography as an attack on politicians and democracy

Non-partisan, collaborative, evidence-based think tank focused on implementation and effectiveness in digital transformation policy.

• Policy brief: 'One photo is enough: deepfake pornography as an attack on politicians and democracy'

• Study with ZEW on goal- and impact-oriented budgeting in digital policy

• E-Valuate project on measuring the impact of the federal digital strategy

• Statement on the planned EU Kids Act

1. 1Start - Agora Digitale Transformationagoradigital.de
2. 2Über uns - Agora Digitale Transformationagoradigital.de
3. 3Agora Digital Transformation - Wikidatawikidata.org