FUPOL is a European research project running under the umbrella of the EC’s FP7 programme, which has successfully developed products to support policy making for cities and regions. Based in the assumption that contemporary ICT tools can be used to improve the outcome of policies the product that has been developed during the past three years is a toolbox that allows decision makers and public administrators to take informed decisions based on observations, knowledge and forecasts in a collaborative and participative way.

The project bundles the scientific know how of several European universities, research entities, cities and SMEs in the field of media monitoring, text mining, visual analytics, advanced simulation and policy modelling. Several pilot cities in Europe – including Slovakia – and Asia use the tools to take a more participative approach in policy making. As a special pilot case the UN’s Human Settlements Programme is applying the tools and methods that FUPOL created to improve the situation of slum dwellers in Mtwapa, Kenia.

FUPOL in Slovakia is launching it's pilot in the city of Senec. This mid-size town, traditionally known for tourism and sports, has recently earned lot of positive spotlight due to it's innovative spirit and infrastructure. Senec aims to go with innovations even further: improving citizen participation, idea/crowd-sourcing management, advanced (social) media monitoring or hot-topic abstraction, all this will be facilitated by FUPOL ICT.