eu-citizen.science blog

Franziska Stressmann June 4, 2025, 8:22 a.m.

RIECS-Concept came to life in November 2023, with the mission to weave together citizens – the core component of the research infrastructure – with the resources they contribute (e.g. mobile phones, computers, community networks) and existing scientific resources such as platforms, repositories and other research infrastructures whilst providing a range of transversal services to the entire citizen science community.

Fermín Serrano Sanz Serrano, June 4, 2025, 8:21 a.m.

In May 2025, the European Citizen Science community proudly launched a new position paper: Citizen Science for the Future of Europe. This publication, jointly developed by ECSA’s Working Group on Policy, Strategy, Governance and Partnerships and the European Citizen Science project, makes a strong case for deeper integration and dedicated support for citizen science in the 10th Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (FP10). But how did we get here? What began as a simple idea in spring 2024 evolved into a year-long journey of co-creation. Here’s a look behind the scenes through some facts and personal reflections.

Carlos Rodero, May 28, 2025, 8:03 a.m.

Barcelona leads urban biodiversity monitoring with the BioDiverCiutat 2025, the local event of the City Nature Challenge

Anna Berti Suman May 14, 2025, 8:35 a.m.

La European Citizen Science Association (ECSA) ha lanciato un nuovo gruppo di lavoro per esplorare e promuovere l'uso della citizen science – la cosiddetta ‘scienza civica’ – nelle aree colpite da conflitti armati. Il nuovo gruppo di lavoro ha una serie di obiettivi, primo fra tutti quello di esplorare il potenziale attuale e futuro della citizen science nelle aree colpite da conflitti armati.

Katerina Zourou May 14, 2025, 8:30 a.m.

Ο Ευρωπαϊκός Οργανισμός για την Επιστήμη των Πολιτών (ECSA) ξεκινάει τη λειτουργία μιας νέας ομάδας εργασίας για να εξετάσει και να προωθήσει τη χρήση της επιστήμης των πολιτών σε περιοχές που πλήττονται από ένοπλες συγκρούσεις. Η Anna Berti Suman και ο Doug Weir εξηγούν γιατί συστάθηκε η νέα ομάδα και πώς μπορείτε να συνεισφέρετε.

Doug Weir, May 14, 2025, 8:23 a.m.

The European Citizen Science Association (ECSA) has launched a new working group to explore and promote the use of citizen science in areas affected by armed conflicts. This new working group has a number of objectives, foremost of which is to explore the current and future potential of citizen science in areas affected by armed conflicts.

Henk Mulder, May 6, 2025, 12:36 p.m.

How can universities foster meaningful engagement with society? One approach is through Science shops—university-based initiatives that connect researchers with civil society organisations to address real-world challenges. During a recent meeting of the ECSA Working Group on Citizen Science and universities, participants discussed the role of science shops, why they thrive in academic settings, and how they operate. This blog post summarises key takeaways from the discussion.

Baiba Pruse April 10, 2025, 11:01 a.m.

Have you ever walked in the streets with a thought that a flower meadow, seaweed, or seagrass could be illustrated on the white building walls? Well, we have! ECSA Working Group on Green spaces and citizen science, and its chairs Baiba Prūse, Sofie Meeus, Stefano Martellos and Vito Emanuele Cambria undertook a new adventure. By co-joining forces with the SPOTTERON citizen science platform and the ArtSpots app team, we brought a unique research challenge to Ca’ Foscari University of Venice master students facilitated by Ca’ Foscari University of Venice Biocultural Diversity Lab team.

Muki Haklay April 9, 2025, 9:10 a.m.

In this article, we take a look at the development of the European Citizen Science Academy, with a long perspective which looks at the needs for skills and competencies in participatory and citizen science over the past 20 years. We examine the emergence of citizen science as a coherent field of activity and the need for introducing people to the theory and practice of it. We then move to the early development of training in citizen science a decade ago, and the development of the European Citizen Science Academy today.

Adriana Postiglione, April 9, 2025, 9:10 a.m.

When I think of the Citizen Science School Rome Technopole, the first word that comes to my mind is challenge. Indeed, it was the first school to simultaneously address high school students and teachers, university students and researchers – how would they react together in a co-creation phase? Would they have been able to find sufficient motivation to get involved? Would we organisers have been able to give each of them something useful to take home?

Cléa Montanari April 9, 2025, 9:10 a.m.

The Network of Trainers and Educators of the ECS Academy in Citizen Science has a very active role in the creation of the Academy itself, and helps to identify training needs, co-design workshops and the roadmap to the Academy. Here, we hear in their own words what this experience means to some of them, and what their role has been and will be in shaping the ECA Academy.

Cléa Montanari April 9, 2025, 8:46 a.m.

As the project manager of the European Citizen Science Academy I am very intrigued to know what kind of training is ongoing in European countries — as there are many; but they are not so easy to find, if you, yourself are not part of the country, or do not speak the language, and or do not make a business trip there. The European Citizen Science Academy would like to know, and also facilitate the knowledge of what is going on at a European level in relation to training in citizen science. This is 1) not to reinvent the wheel of training, 2) foster collaborations and initiatives and cross-pollination of what is going on at national level.