FUNDED PROJECTS
DEMPOWER
DEMPOWER is a project to design and establish a new Erasmus Mundus Joint Master’s programme focused on democratic resilience, media power and information integrity.
Category: Incubator Grant
University:
University of the Basque Country, Comenius University Bratislava, University of Galway
DEMPOWER is a project to design and establish a new Erasmus Mundus Joint Master’s programme focused on democratic resilience, media power and information integrity. The programme will train a new generation of specialists who can understand and address the governance challenges created by platform dominance, political manipulation and cross-border disinformation. It will bring together expertise from partner universities across Europe and the Global South, combining academic analysis with practical skills in policy, regulation and democratic communication.
The work includes curriculum design, mapping of best practice, development of joint mobility pathways, and creation of a shared governance and quality assurance structure across partner institutions. It also involves consultation with regulators, public bodies, media organisations and civil society to ensure that the programme reflects real policy and professional needs.
The intended outcome is the successful accreditation and launch of a high-quality Erasmus Mundus Master’s that prepares graduates to work in public institutions, regulatory bodies, journalism and media organisations, civil society, and international governance roles.
Participants and Stakeholders
- Coordinator: University of Galway
- Other Partner Institutions: Comenius University, Bratislava; and University of the Basque Country, Bilbao
- Team Composition:
- Galway: Tom Felle (project lead) and Dr Rounwah Bseiso (Galway partner)
- Basque: Dr Miriam Ureta Garcia (Basque Lead); Dr Mikel Diez Sarasola (partner)
- Comenius: Dr Mykola Polovyi (Comenius Lead); Dr Khylko Maksym and Matthew Steven Porges (partners)
- Stakeholders/External Partners:
- Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chil (associate)
- Other associates are TBC
Objectives
- To design and accredit an Erasmus Mundus Joint Master’s on democratic resilience and information integrity
- To develop a joint curriculum and mobility structure across the three universities
- To align the degree with professional, regulatory and civic needs
- To ensure the programme produces graduates with applied skills for democratic governance and public communication
Additional information
DEMPOWER is one of the few Erasmus Mundus development projects that places information integrity at the centre of democratic resilience. It treats platform governance, foreign information manipulation and interference, democratic backsliding and declining trust as interconnected problems rather than separate research themes. The programme is built around a clear link between public communication systems, the health of the public sphere and the credibility of electoral processes. The consortium’s combined expertise allows the project to address tech governance failures, the vulnerabilities created by fragmented media environments and the institutional pressures that weaken strong democracies. The result is a programme designed for graduates who will work directly on these challenges in public institutions, regulation and civic sectors.