This project addresses the inherent tensions between the sense of urgency to take adequate measures and the democratic principles of justice in sustainability transitions. These tensions are recognised in literature, yet their reconciliation has not yet been systematically assessed. Drawing on different bodies of literature related to sustainability transitions, we argue in favour of democratic innovations, such as deliberative governance, as a pathway to foster both rapid and just transitions. As such, the research question of this project focuses on whether, how, and why democratic innovations in the EU may help in understanding and reconciling these tensions. Through three interrelated work packages, this question is dealt using a multi-method research design. After conceptualising democratic innovations for our purposes of reconciling the tensions, a QCA will allow for the identification of conditions under which they might contribute to that reconciliation. Finally, a theoretical framework will be developed through a comparative case study to help explain why certain conditions may contribute to this reconciliation. The analyses will draw on qualitative data originating from documents (e.g. evaluations of democratic innovations), and elite interviews with organisers of democratic innovations and policymakers. This project thus contributes to the fundamental understanding of how tensions between justice and urgency may be reconciled in democratic futures.