Future initiative My country thinks of tomorrow: Citizen participation starts!

Future initiative My country thinks of tomorrow: Citizen participation starts!

On September 10, 2025, Governor Johanna Mikl-Leitner presented the future initiative "My Land thinks of tomorrow". This initiative aims to develop innovative solutions through the cooperation between science, business and society. Experts were present at the event, including Univ.-Prof. Peter Filzmaier, Dr. Katrin Protnik and Univ.-Prof. Christoph Badelt, who presented several knowledge and studies. The initiative wants to answer central questions about the future, such as: "What do we live from tomorrow?" And "How do we organize ourselves tomorrow?". In addition, regular surveys for the citizens' opinion are planned to ensure broader participation.

The long -cited “Democratic Adolescent” study is to be observed. Annual “future days” are also planned, the first will take place in January 2026. The results of this initiative are to be published on the Meinlanddektanmorgen.at platform in order to promote the dialogue between citizens, science and politics.

Digital participation as a key to rural development

In the context of the future initiative, digital transformation in rural regions is becoming increasingly relevant. These areas often struggle with structural challenges such as low population density and restricted mobility. However, these problems could be addressed through digital participation in order to secure general interest. According to the Fraunhofer Iese, the digital platform "Consul" was developed, which serves as an open source tool for citizen participation. This tool was implemented in several counties as part of the “Smartte.Land.Land.Land.

"Consul" enables citizens to take part in political processes regardless of time and place, which is particularly important for rural areas. The platform overcomes physical and temporal hurdles by offering a way to bring in ideas and give feedback on local projects.

Challenges and perspectives of digital citizen participation

However, the implementation of digital participation also raises challenges. Complex usability for administrative workers and cultural skepticism of citizens against digital formats represent difficulties. In addition, sufficient digital infrastructure is necessary to enable broad participation. The success of such initiatives depends largely on the training of administrative employees and transparent communication on the effects of participation.

The merging of analog and digital formats is crucial to achieve the broadest possible audience. This also includes close cooperation with local actors and administrative institutions. Only through well -designed digital participation can an inclusive culture of participation be established, which includes all population groups in the design of their region. Future research projects should further deepen these aspects and develop more user -friendly solutions for citizen participation.

With these measures and initiatives, the state of Lower Austria aims to improve the quality of life and participation in rural regions and to intensify the citizens' dialogue. Digital participation plays a central role in mastering the challenges of the future.

For more information, see the website of Lower Austria's future initiative,, Fraunhofer iese and local-artipation.de.