DCPC/CDC 2025 Workshop

The Digital Commons Policy Council/Civic Data Cooperative 2025 Workshop was held on 21-23 May 2025 at the University of Liverpool’s Civic Health Innovation Labs (CHIL), UK. The event represented the opportunity for 35 attendees from around the world to exchange insights about the latest developments in the digital commons policy and research space. The gathering drew participants from academia, policy, and civil society, including representatives from France’s Agence française de développement and the UK Government’s Digital Cabinet Office. Attendees also included non-profit organisation representatives and researchers from Australia, Belgium, Brazil, China, France, India, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Uganda and the United Kingdom, with sponsored delegates from low and middle-income countries supported by the organisers.

Similarly to the 2024 DCPC/CIS Policy Lab, the 2025 Workshop used an ‘unconference’ format whereby work directions emerged from the attendees’ deliberations. After discussing issues currently impacting digital commons development, the general assembly of participants identified several resources that it would be useful to have. They then self-selected into separate breakout groups to collaboratively create these resources via open documents, with groups reporting at intervals to the general assembly for feedback. The resources are (1) new communication tools for stakeholder engagement, (2) a taxonomy of digital commons, (3) implementation mechanisms for digital commons for healthcare policy and development, and (4) aspirational principles for governments to support inclusive global digital commons. In a final debrief session, many participants declared they had found the event’s positive atmosphere and mix of idealistic and pragmatic outputs inspiring. Following the Workshop, group members have continued working to finalise the resources. DCPC/CDC 2025 Workshop extended summaries and outputs are listed below.