Blaues Papierschiff vor einem blauen-rosa Hintergrund mit Farbverlauf und abstrakten verbundenen weißen Punkten, die ein digitales Netzwerk symbolisieren.

Civic Coding project consulting

Consulting services for AI projects for the common good

Application phase closed - Thank you for your participation

The application phase for the Civic Coding project consulting is closed. Thank you to all the dedicated teams who applied!

All places are currently filled. In September, we will contact the projects on the waiting list if any places become available.

If you would like to stay up to date, please visit our Community and subscribe to the Civic Coding Update (in German) – there you will find out about our upcoming offers and formats early on.

Overview

What do we offer? Up to 30 hours of one-to-one online expert advice on artificial intelligence, data, strategy and organization – for your AI project for the common good.
For whom? Projects related to AI for the common good at all stages of development. It is open to everyone, from individuals, associations and non-profit companies to start-ups. Your idea should only have a certain degree of maturity.
When? The application period is from Mai 12th to September 1st, 2025. Applications can be submitted via Civic Coding community until all places have been allocated.

Is your project not about an AI-application, but primarily about using data for the common good?

The Anchor project of the Federal Ministry for Education, Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth – Civic Data Lab – can help. CDL is a programme by the civil society for the civil society. Here civil society stakeholders can find everything they need to overcome obstacles in using data for the common good. In the CDL-Community you will find like-minded people and in the CDL-Academy a wide range of learning opportunities on data in civil society.

You can book a data consultation hour at the Civic Data Lab to discuss your project. During the consultation it will be agreed whether and how the CDL can support your project with technical, organisational and legal expertise. Simultaneous consulting by the Civic Coding project consulting service and the Civic Data Lab data consultation hour is only possible if the objectives of the consultation are different. Click here for more information.

What benefits await you?

Are you facing a strategic challenge in your AI project for the common good? Would you like expert advice on AI, data or strategy-related topics? Are you just starting out and wondering how to get your idea off the ground?

One-to-one consulting by interdisciplinary experts
Flexible online consultations tailored to your needs
Up to 30 hours of consultation time over a period of 12 weeks
You retain the rights to your project
You can apply with multiple projects
The programme is free of charge

How did the project consulting help other teams?

„The fact that we are now in a position to take the next steps and submit a major funding application would not have been possible without the project consulting.“
Lola Güldenberg – Projekt „KI & Inklusion“
„Thanks to this external perspective, we were able to sharpen our unique selling point and more clearly formulate the added value that we can bring.“
Lukas Salecker – deliberAIde
„The project consultancy really helped us move forward. In workshops involving all employees, we talked about topics such as communication and structure.“
Cristian Amaya - ConBotics

Facts about the project consulting 2024

You can find more exciting insights into the project consulting 2024 and the participating project teams in the final report on our accompanying research (only in German).

advised projects

2937

consulting hours

91 %

recommended it

What topics can we offer advice on?

We advise you on the following AI topics:
Analysis of use cases for AI tools
Hands-on support in the development of own AI solutions / AI tools
Implementation of a context-specific chatbots
Automation of processes with the help of AI
UI/UX design
Sustainable use of AI models / AI tools
Ethical aspects in the use of AI
Development of a roadmap / architecture for more complex solutions with multiple technical components
Open source solutions
Hosting of own AI models
We advise you on the following Data topics:
Strategies for data collection, data acquisition (web scraping, API queries etc.)
Data management (setting up databases/data structures)
Analysis of existing data
Data visualization
Data preparation, anonymization of data
Data processing & hosting with regard to compliance and data protection
Generation of synthetic data, improvement of data quality
Open Data
We advise you on the following organisation and strategy topics:
Organizational and team development
Future skills, collaboration and leadership
Strategy, implementation planning and project management
Communication and public relations
Development of sustainable business models
Financing and funding opportunities
Development of social impact models
Sustainability transformation
Community building, participation and collaboration with stakeholders and partners
User-centered and co-creative work

How does the process work?

Illustration of a hand holding a document with a checkmark, symbolizing approval or validation. The design uses a gradient of blue and pink colors.

Application

Join the Civic Coding community and apply with your AI project for the common good in just a few steps.

A gradient blue and purple paper airplane illustration with a dashed line trail, symbolizing movement or travel.

Decision

You will receive an email from us with feedback on whether your project is eligible for the Civic Coding project consulting.

Icon of a laptop with a gradient color scheme that transitions from pink to blue. The laptop screen and keyboard are stylized, with the screen showing two diagonal lines indicating reflection. The background is white.

Kick-off discussion

In an online kick-off meeting we will learn more about you (or your team), your project and your requirements. Together, we will establish the objectives for the consultation.

Two overlapping speech bubbles with a gradient design, colored from purple to blue, on a transparent background. The front bubble contains three dots, suggesting ongoing conversation or messaging.

Consulting

Your consultation begins! From the start, you can flexibly organize your 30-hour time budget (in consultation with your consulting team).

What are the selection criteria?

We use the following criteria to determine whether your project is eligible for Civic Coding project consulting.

Your project, your initiative or your idea...

... offers a plausible and promising solution to a specific societal issue and thus contributes to the common good.
... is directly related to at least one of the three ministries' themes or fields of action (Labour and Social Affairs, Environmental and Climate Protection, and/or Society and Commitment).
... has a direct connection to AI, as artificial intelligence is already being used or preparatory work is currently being carried out to deploy AI.

In addition, your consulting needs correspond to the technical and temporal offer of the project consulting (AI consulting, data consulting, strategic and organisational consulting).

Who will consult you?

We know that consulting needs can be wide-ranging. That's why we have put together a team of 30 experts. Whether it's data management, hosting AI models or building a sustainable business model – we have the right expertise for you for every issue. This is what some of our consultants say about working with the project teams:

In the Civic Coding project consulting, we analyse data, processes and existing solutions in order to develop AI concepts that sustainably boost projects for the common good.

Simon Stegemann, co-founder of N3XTCODER
I am thrilled by the enthusiasm, motivation and creativity of the teams. It’s gratifying that we are able to bring both structure and momentum to the projects through consulting.

Laura Heym, strategy consultant and transformation designer at zukunft zwei
AI is a tool for designing innovative and sustainable solutions based on values. I support organizations in translating their visions and values into viable business models and in leveraging the potential of AI, particularly in the public good-oriented sector.

Milena von Stenglin, business psychologist and organizational developer at zukunft zwei
For 15 years, I have been working at the intersection of social and technological innovation. Public good-oriented AI opens up entirely new possibilities—for stronger organizations, more effective projects, and systemic change. I look forward to supporting the teams working on AI projects for the common good on their development path.

Carolin Silbernagl, co-Founder and strategy consultant at zukunft zwei
In the era of AI, ignorance is costly. Our consulting evaluates your AI readiness, empowering informed decisions across tech and non-tech teams for Technical & Data, Team & Culture, Ethical, and Strategy & Commercial domains.

Dr. Anamika Datta, product expert, and AI consultant N3XTCODER ecosystem
How can artificial intelligence be used in your project so that it offers high added value for society? For AI systems to work for all of us, we need to think about how AI and its guidelines should be designed. We focus on people and organisations in the context of technical solutions.

Tobias Oertel, consultant on digitalisation, organisational culture, civil society and politics at zukunft zwei
How is artificial intelligence changing the way we work together? AI systems have the potential to expand and facilitate our work. They confront us with new questions, challenges and ways of working. For digital innovation to really take hold, there needs to be a shared understanding within the organisation of what change means: from roles and communication processes to decisions, attitudes and values. I support people in developing further in the transformation and learning together.

Katrin Erbacher, organisational developer and systemic consultant at zukunft zwei
We want to demystify AI. We walk you through the landscape from AI tools, to Machine Learning concepts and guide you into specific areas that are relevant to real challenges you are facing.

Jonathan Moore, CTO & co-founder at N3XTCODER

Conducted by

Questions and answers

Your AI project for the common good must directly cover at least one of the subject areas of the three federal ministries, the BMAS, the BMBFSFJ the BMUKN. The fields of action are the following:
Topics of the BMAS (Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs)
Occupational health and safety
Work culture
Labour market
Work organisation
Transparency and explainability of AI applications
Social partnership and participation
Continuing education
Topics of the BMUKN (Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety)
Environmental protection
Nature and species conservation
Climate protection
Climate change adaptation
Circular economy
Resource conservation
Sustainable digitalisation
Topics of the BMBFSFJ (Federal Ministry for Education, Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth)
Democracy and diversity, prevention of antisemitism, racism, discrimination and extremism
Engagement and digital participation
Digital sovereignty and youth and media protection
Access to consulting, services and benefits
Dementia and care in old age, demographic change
(Economic) equality
Compatibility of family and career
Education
Chatbots, voice assistants or smart home are examples of AI technologies that are being used more widely in society. They are becoming increasingly prominent in our everyday lives. Most of the time, the development of AI-based technologies is driven by economic interests. AI for the common good, on the other hand, is oriented towards values that are important for the general public. It enables intelligent solutions for societal challenges. The Civic Coding initiative strengthens a sustainable, social and participatory development and use of AI.
There are issues relevant to the common good in almost every area of social life, be it the world of work or social issues like equality, transparency and participation. In addition, the focus on the common good ranges from environmental protection and sustainability to equal rights for marginalised groups and the reduction of prejudice.
The 30 hours of one-to-one online expert advice and hands-on support include a variety of activities aimed at providing comprehensive support for your project. This includes not only direct advice and support in online appointments with the consultants, but also time for preparation, follow-up, research and other supporting activities such as hands-on support in the implementation of technical solutions. In the initial meeting, we will work together to find out which support services best meet your needs.
You can apply for project consulting from May 12 until September 1. However, as we can only advise a limited number of projects per month, it makes sense to apply as early as possible. If our capacities for this month are already reached, we will schedule you directly for the following month. The consultation should be completed within a period of 12 weeks.
In principle, our consulting is open to AI projects at all stages of development:
Idea generation
You have a concrete idea for a new product (including applications or processes) or a new service that can solve specific challenges and problems for as many people as possible.
Concept development
You are developing a concept for your product or service and defining the key features. You are also developing a concrete implementation plan.
Prototyping and testing
You are creating a first prototype of your product or service to make your idea tangible for first users/stakeholders. You are testing this prototype to ensure that it meets the needs of users/stakeholders.
Implementation and launch
You are currently implementing an initial version of your product or service that meets at least the minimum user requirements, or are already making it available to a wider group of users.
Further development & scaling
You are in the process of developing your product or service to cover more functions, a wider audience or more applications.
Our consulting services are primarily aimed at projects that have reached a certain level of maturity. This means, for example, that you have already considered how your project addresses a societal problem, what resources you need, and who you are working with to implement it.
In our Civic Coding community you will find projects at all these development stages. Register now and post your first project idea!
Yes, if your project has developed significantly in the meantime and you apply to us with a new consulting need, you are welcome to reapply to the project consulting.
Yes, AI projects for the common good that will receive or have already received other funding can also apply to the project consulting programme. The only exception: Simultaneous consulting by the Civic Coding project consulting service and the Civic Data Lab data consultation hour is only possible if the objectives of the consultation are different.
Project consulting is a free service to advance your AI project and work with you to find solutions to your problems. The success of the consultation therefore depends largely on your commitment. Therefore, make sure you book an appointment early and reliably, prepare yourself well for the consulting appointments and think in advance about what specific questions and consulting needs you have. Our aim is to ensure productive and effective collaboration during the consultation phase. This works best if there is not too much time between the consultation appointments so that we can focus on your challenges together.
The Civic Coding project consulting does not offer financial support. Instead, we offer hands-on support from a team of interdisciplinary experts from zukunft zwei and N3XTCODER in the areas of AI, data organisation and strategy.
Yes, we assess each project independently, so you can apply more than once if you have different projects.
Yes, you retain all rights to your project or idea.