CrownShy’s CivTech challenge journey: from explorer to government partner!

Introducing CivTech Challenge 10.7

In July 2024, the Scottish Government launched CivTech Challenge 10.7, asking a big and timely question: How can technology support high-quality, scalable public participation to build trust around data use, AI, and public good initiatives?

While in-person formats like citizens’ assemblies remain vital for deep, relational deliberation, this challenge recognised a need for something more: digital tools that complement those processes, open the doors wider, and meet people where they are.

The goal? To create ways for citizens to express informed views on a case-by-case basis, and to give policymakers the kind of grounded, nuanced insight that supports better decisions, builds trust, and ultimately improves lives.

Explorer Stage: listening and learning

Out of 24 applications, CrownShy was one of two teams selected to enter the Explorer Stage (11–29 November 2024). Those few weeks were full of learning, and they went quickly. We spoke with policy officers, analysts and engagement leads across the Scottish Government, from open government to AI ethics to data strategy and beyond.

They generously shared their time and their challenges in the process of consultation, where citizens’ contributions don’t always translate clearly into decision-making. We also heard a genuine desire to do participation better, to make it deeper, broader, and more responsive.

So we began our work scoping the early version of a platform to weave together a range of open-source deliberation tools in a joined-up, human-centred way. A space where citizens could engage thoughtfully, and officials could more easily run processes that listen effectively. We called it Comhairle - a Gaelic word for “advice” or “council.”

Accelerator Phase: building the foundation

In early December 2024, we were thrilled to hear that we’d won the Explorer phase! We’d been chosen to go forward into the Accelerator phase where we entered an intense four months of designing, building, testing and refining.

We developed an early Minimum Viable Product (MVP) of Comhairle, one that included a dashboard for facilitators and policy officials, basic AI-assisted reporting, and accessible, flexible workflows for citizen engagement. Like all MVPs it was far from perfect, but prototyping a public engagement with a government partner - the Scottish AI Alliance showed that the principles we’re building worked. And crucially, it proved the potential.

At Demo Day, we shared what we’d built. We showed how Comhairle could host structured deliberations with hundreds or thousands of participants, and help draw out the patterns and insights that decision-makers need. We also shared our bigger vision: not just a product, but a platform for culture change in how government listens.

July 2025: A big step forward

So our big news for this month - July 2025. Is that we’ve signed an 18-month contract with the Scottish Government to take Comhairle from pilot to production. This is a huge milestone for our (currently) small team, but more importantly, it’s a signal that there are innovative governments that are serious about doing participation differently.

Over the next 18 months, we’ll:

• Expand Comhairle with new features and more seamless integration
• Support real-world deliberations in Scotland on AI, data, ethics and more
• Co-create with civil servants to make participation easier and more embedded
• Build evidence to show what good digital participation looks like in practice

Why this matters

Trust doesn’t come from flashy tech. It comes from care, consistency, and being genuinely heard. Comhairle is about making space for that, at scale, without losing the human depth.

We’re not replacing in-person citizens’ participation and deliberation. We’re working to extend that spirit, with an attention to values, fairness and inclusion, into the day-to-day rhythm of policymaking. Because we believe participation shouldn’t be the exception. It should be the way democracy is done.

And whilst we’re building this in Scotland, we’re making this technology available to everyone who believes in doing democracy differently.

If you’re interested in what we’re building reach out to us at info@crown-shy.com or visit crown-shy.com