eu-citizen.science blog

Juliette Chalant, July 10, 2024, 7:51 a.m.

As part of the ECS project, 10 public libraries from Public Libraries 2030’s European network are organising citizen science-related events. These events aim to introduce citizen science to a wider public, ultimately broadening and strengthening the European citizen science community. The spotlight is on the Valmiera Library in Latvia, who has organised several activities and events on citizen science throughout 2024 to popularise citizen science and promote public participation in scientific research.

Simona Cerrato, June 27, 2024, 9:11 a.m.

Michael Køie Poulsen, a tireless advocate for focused biodiversity conservation and a champion for community-based solutions, passed away on 21 June. He will be deeply missed by all who knew him and shared his vision for a future where biodiversity is valued and local communities thrive.

Andrea Sforzi, June 17, 2024, 1:41 p.m.

The National Biodiversity Future Center (NBFC) is one out of five national centres dedicated to frontier research, funded by the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) in the framework of Next Generation EU. Established under an initiative of the National Research Council (CNR), NBFC is the first National Research Center dedicated to conservation, monitoring, restoration and valorisation of biodiversity. In this frame on May 21st 2024 the NBFC Working Table on Citizen Science was officially launched with the aim of making citizen science increasingly significant elements, in the short and medium term.

Simona Cerrato, June 17, 2024, 8:33 a.m.

This is the straight conclusion of the workshop "Let’s imagine training for facilitators in citizen science projects!" held at the Ecsite conference 2024 (Ljubljana, 5-8 June 2024) facilitated by Catherine Oulian of the Ecole de la médiation Universcience (Paris), Aouife Taylor of the Trinity College Dublin, Claudia Aguirre and Paul Boniface of the association TRACES (Paris), and myself, representing the ECS project and ECSA. The workshop offered feedback from institutions involved in citizen science and in (inter)mediation or facilitation training, and the ECS project contributed by communicating some training needs, identified with our community, and its work in developing an European Citizen Science Academy (ECS Academy).

Stefanie, April 24, 2024, 1 p.m.

Rethinking impact assessment in citizen science was the topic of a whole-day focus session at the ECSA Conference 2024 in Vienna. The event was the perfect space for more than 80 attendees to discuss current challenges and possible solutions to evaluation and impact assessment in a design thinking approach that spread across three consecutive sessions. It was organised by Barbara Kieslinger, Teresa Schaefer and Stefanie Schuerz of the ECS project and Antonella Passani of the Impetus project.

Simona Cerrato, April 24, 2024, 12:51 p.m.

The ECSA2024 conference closed with a very special event, the Citizen Science Day, which was held on Saturday 6 April in the wonderful setting of the Natural Science Museum of Vienna. On the balcony overlooking the spectacular circular entrance, dozens of activities, projects and organisations were available to visitors who in their thousands visited the museum that day. An event that gave us the opportunity to free ourselves from our computer screens and be with people: families, girls and boys, researchers, colleagues all together to explore the potential of citizen science.

Dorte, April 24, 2024, 12:40 p.m.

ECSA2024 in Vienna was an inspiring reminder of the vibrant energy that drives our community. The conference was a dynamic space for networking, learning, and collaborative thinking. Informal discussions and spontaneous meetings among attendees sparked creative ideas and new collaborations, emphasising the value of face-to-face interactions.

Sonia Liñán, Feb. 8, 2024, 12:44 p.m.

The European Citizen Science (ECS) project has released a report to revolutionise data management practices within citizen science initiatives. This report, led by researchers from the Institut de Ciències del Mar (ICM-CSIC), derived from a meticulous literature review, serves as a comprehensive guide for organisations and individuals involved in developing and implementing technological services in citizen science.

Cathrine, Jan. 31, 2024, 10:58 a.m.

As a part of the EU-funded project YouCount, the Department of sustainability and planning of the Aalborg University, in Denmark, have experimented with implementing citizen social science as a tool for working practice and action-based with sustainability for civic youth engagement.

Yaela Golumbic, Jan. 31, 2024, 10:53 a.m.

Citizen science in Israel has been growing slowly yet steadily, over the past years. Yet, projects generally operate independently of one another, needing to build their own expertise, infrastructure and public support systems. This situation restricts the sharing of knowledge, limits the efficient allocation of resources, and ultimately prevents projects from reaching their full potential. This is why the Israel Center for Citizen Science was established.

Floor, Jan. 31, 2024, 10:34 a.m.

Get to know the Citizen Science Contact Point (CSCP) launched in October 2022 by the Research Council of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel. As the name suggests, the research community at Vrije Universiteit Brussel can address the Citizen Science Contact Point for all things citizen science. But the larger aim, as stated in the policy plans, is to stimulate both the quality and the quantity of funded Vrije Universiteit Brussel projects applying a citizen science approach, and to promote a culture in which citizen science is considered as a fully-fledged research method.

Simona Cerrato, Jan. 23, 2024, 1:26 p.m.

From November 24th to 26th, the first national conference of the newly established association Citizen Science Italia took place in Pisa. It was a significant event held in the charming setting of the Arsenali repubblicani, a venue that bears witness to the city's long maritime history and its openness to new horizons. We discussed the conference with Andrea Sforzi, Gaia Agnello, and Chiara Vitillo, the organisers of the event and the driving force behind the association. Tigre, Gaia's cat, joined us, never missing a video call when it comes to citizen science.