Dr. Ralf Lindner joined the Fraunhofer ISI as a senior scientist at the Competence Center Emerging Technologies in 2005. He received his degree in political science and economics from the University of Augsburg, completed graduate work at the University of British Columbia (Vancouver) and was a visiting researcher at Carleton University (Ottawa). His doctoral dissertation focuses on the application and integration of digital networks in the communication strategies of intermediary organisations in North America. He is particularly interested in the diffusion processes of ICTs, e-participation and e-democracy. Additional research interests include policy analysis, processes of policy learning and the analysis of multi-level governance. Among his recent projects was the evaluation of the German Bundestag’s e-petition system and the EU-funded e-participation project HuWY (Hub Websites for Youth Participation).