The primary instrument for achieving a deep and lasting impact on capacity-building for citizen engagement in policymaking - both during and beyond the DUST project’s lifetime - is the DUST Academy (conducted within the WP6.4 in period: M24-M34; Lead: UEK; Partners: STRATH, ISOCARP, BTU, TUD, NR, CSD, HSSL BD, KiJuBB, SZ REDA, KADRA). This deliverable D6.5 presents the academy. It is important to note that the deliverable is not a report, but a structured documentation of the activities that have been carried out within DUST Task 6.4, providing an overview of the implemented processes and actions.

The DUST Academy was designed for three key user communities: policy- and decision-makers; local governments and civil society organisations from Europe and beyond; and future urban and regional leaders in citizen engagement for sustainability transitions. Through professional education workshops, interactive exchanges on policy lessons learned, and the development of replicability studies, the DUST Academy supports the transfer of DUST’s results across diverse territorial and institutional contexts. In doing so, it strengthens policy knowledge and institutional capacity for enabling meaningful citizen participation. Deliverable D6.5 is structured around three interrelated subtasks, as well as in the light of results of deliverables D6.4 and D3.4, which together aim to identify transferable lessons from the DUST project and to build long-term capacity for citizen engagement in sustainability transitions.