Bürger schaffen Wissen

Created Dec. 9, 2022, 5:14 p.m.

Updated July 26, 2023, 3:49 p.m.

Since November 2013, the Museum of Natural History Berlin and Wissenschaft im Dialog have collaborated to run Bürger schaffen Wissen (“citizens create knowledge”), the central platform for Citizen Science in Germany. Bürger schaffen Wissen offers Citizen Science projects in Germany higher visibility, connects citizen science actors and actively promotes the establishment of Citizen Science.

Currently, Bürger schaffen Wissen features over 240 projects from various disciplines (with some project information available in English), inviting individuals to actively participate in research activities in diverse ways. The platform provides comprehensive information about Citizen Science and facilitates connections between the public, scientific partners and civil society actors.

Bürger schaffen Wissen is the focal point of a growing national network including thematic and regional working groups and engages in international Citizen Science networks. In addition to online formats, Bürger schaffen Wissen organizes the annual Forum Citizen Science, the conference for Citizen Science in Germany. By engaging in the development of Citizen Science Strategy Papers and Quality Criteria Bürger schaffen Wissen advocates for the promotion and support of Citizen Science.

With a diverse range of workshops, Bürger schaffen Wissen actively contributes to capacity building in the field of Citizen Science, both within the scientific community and organized civil society.

In order to highlight Citizen Science as a research approach in academia, Bürger schaffen Wissen will award the Wissen der Vielen Forschungspreis für Citizen Science (“Knowledge of the Many Research Award for Citizen Science”) for the first time in 2023. The winners will be chosen by an interdisciplinary jury of university professors. This prize will shine a spotlight on research works that illustrate, that scientific excellence can be achieved through Citizen Science.

Bürger schaffen Wissen is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).