Notes from ECSA 2024 conference – Day 1 opening session

The European Citizen Science Association is celebrating 10 years, and the bi-annual conference is dedicated to change. The opening session at the BOKU university. Opened by the rector Eva Schulev-Stiendl. She noted that citizen science is a powerful tool for democratising science. Empowering individuals and communities to be involved in science. At BOKU there is an experience and awareness to citizen science. BOKU is committed to promoting citizen science at the institutional level but also supporting it across Austria through Osterreich forschet (the Austrian network http://www.citizen-science.at).

Barbara Weitgruber from the Austrian Ministry of Education, Science & Research – citizen science supported in Austria since 2007 in the Sparkling Science programme. The world is facing unprecedented challenges and requires new collaboration. Citizen science allows the connection of different types of knowledge and also increases the awareness of citizens of scientific processes. Strengthening science-policy connections is vital. Citizen science can also help in providing data for the SDG and support evidence-based policy. Citizen science is also part of the European Research Area in an effort to bring science and society together. Austria was involved in the MLE on citizen science and benefited it the development of recommendations. There was a study that showed that scepticism towards science and democracy goes together. The big challenge is to outreach and communicate, to make people aware of how science contributes to their lives. The ministry launched a campaign to increase awareness and understanding of science.

Dorte Riemenschneider (managing director ECSA) – celebrating a major milestone. opportunity to reflect and prepare for the next decade. Environmental, technological, political, and societal change are current issues. Citizen science stands out as a transforming force to improve science and society connection. Over the past decade citizen science has been successful – improved science and contributed to policy, and to communities. It is a movement to break barriers between science and society and improve inclusiveness. The conference is an opportunity to improve connections and consider ideas for the future.

Katrin Vohland (DG Natural History Museum Vienna) support the communities, run projects and supports and advocates citizen science are important roles of the associations. The celebration is to the ability to link new data sources and linking to different aspects in citizen science. We saw changes in the decade such as the support within Horizon Europe. We also have the experience of a huge variety of projects from local to global.

Florian Heigl & Daniel Dorler – the coordinator of the Austrian platform for citizen science. The ECSA conference is the biggest so far – there has been a lot of change in citizen science. 10 years ago, it was not well known and now platforms across Europe are proliferating. The platform started with 9 projects and now they have over 100. There is also an increasing number of meetings and conferences that are building communities in different European countries. There was also less suspicion of the data and more recognition of citizen science data in research. However, there is an increased dismissal of science and more populist and citizen science is a way to address it.

The panel discussion included Barbara Weitgruber (Austrian Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research), Susanne Hecker (Chair ECSA), Maina Muniafu (Chair CitSciAfrica, CSGP Board), Dejan Dvorsek (Deputy Head of Open Science and Research Infrastructures unit, DG Research and Innovation, European Commission)

The topic is mainstreaming citizen science and how it fit into funding, and concepts of excellence. Start with benefits for policy – leading to change, but we need to convince policymakers. Susanne – before talking of added value, we need to ask why is that important? We are celebrating a decade of citizen science and learning about initiatives but we also see a critical to see that funding for citizen science is not given, with changes in Germany where government support for a long time but this is changing due to different general prioritisation politically. We need to think about the benefits of citizen science for policy so that policy people see the reason to support it. Citizen science is important and can leverage and support different multi-lateral initiatives such as SDG and other environmental issues. For all the initiatives of citizen science projects, it is difficult to point to a specific project that influences policy – there can be large-scale projects such as plastic pirates that influence at this scale, but there are also co-created small projects that are making important impact at the local scale.

Dejan – Indeed, at EU level, citizen science has been prominent in H2020 and Horizon Europe with a number of projects with investments of 11 mil Eur in this area. There is also engagement in the policy side – there is a priority in ERA objective 14, in the societal pillar of HE. It is also important in the evaluation of research. There is a lot of support to it, but also outcomes that demonstrate that citizen science is important. The outcomes of projects can lead to concrete policy actions – for example including odour pollution into zero pollution policy. Citizen science is important for increasing trust in science and there are a lot of emerging projects with a differentiation between countries. The MLE is an example of sharing experiences. Questions of smart cities, pollution, and dealing with crises such as COVID-19 – citizen science is filling in the gaps that professional researchers can’t. Citizen science is enshrined in nature restoration legislation that are going through the EU parliament. Citizen science contributes to the evidence base for making policy. There is an importance of working on future framework programme.

Barbara – Engaging people with science requires engagement at early stages, encouraging researchers to start learning about science at an early age. Involving citizens in mission-oriented research because you need to engage citizens so they accept and use the results of research. Topics such as climate change is an area where people can be engaged

Maina – at the global level, we need to ask what is the level of citizens’ participation in decision-making. There are many agreements and conventions on participation but there is limited success in the environment. The situation in Africa is about 10 years beyond Europe, but citizen science and the organisation of communities across the globe is making a difference.

Barbara – mainstreaming: The research action plan from 2019 includes citizen science and RRI in all the activities, such as a guiding document to public universities. There is also in the political strategy for 2030 embeds citizen science and responsible research. There are also competitive programmes such as Sparkling Science which links researchers and schools. The support for the Austrian citizen science community is also based on political support at the time when the network was set and then it continues. In terms of the New ERA policy for the whole European Area it also accepts new forms of careers in research and knowledge valorisation which appreciate citizen science. There is support among member states to continue with this programme and the activities that are part of it. There is a need to support the action lines and there is a need to support different countries. The next ERA policy will be set when the new commission later in the year. There is a need to lobby on this but it looks that it will be supported.

Dejan – in terms of the EC, there is a question about how FP10 will look like. Need to think about the challenges for the next research programme. The programme will start in 2028. There is already the review of H2020 and of the missions, and the mid-term evaluation of Horizon Europe. There is a high-level group of experts that are working on reporting on how to structure of the next FP. It is a time of political change with the European Elections and how the new structure will look like. This should be clear in the new year and we need to get ideas from the new commission. The EC collects position papers and that is needed voices from the community to change things and the voice of citizen science needs to be heard.

Maina – in the African context, funding challenges are very big. The African Union is calling for countries to increase R&D spending to 5% when it is very low. There are many NGOs that are involved. Cit Sci Africa is collecting data so they can highlight funding and coordinate projects. There are some positives by statistical offices to use citizens data and there are a lot of opportunities where there is no other data.

Susanne – in the European science system – there are different systems in different countries. There is a need to understand the different situations, the political system, and the way to influence. The point of excellence – there is a rethinking of it towards a more inclusive concept and how research can be assessed. Things like COARRA that is changing the research assessment. For example, a prize for citizen science that highlights scientific excellence. Terminologies of excellence are important to shift the conversation. The citizen science community need to think what is the added value that we give inside academia and we need the support of society and funders.

Barbara – there are already criteria that recognise different careers in research. Research assessment needs to be linked to the way careers in academia are understood. The ministry is running a working groups that work on guidelines and recommendations on research careers and they will be shared soon. So highlighting diverse options for entrepreneurial approaches, citizen science, public engagement and going beyond the scientific publication.

Maina – there are lots of initiatives around data that are demonstrating the success of citizen science but a lot of projects are not linked. Water is a very important aspect of projects. There is a strong partnership with ECSA and exploring more air quality and biodiversity will be important areas of partnership

Susanne – in 10 years citizen science is one of the main pillars in the multilateral framework through calling up partnerships and projects that are running Europe, Africa and South America. Citizen science is thus recognised as an important political instrument.

Dejan – there is a question of consolidation and reuse of data from projects and opportunities to share software and tools through the EOSC. It is also to support an infrastructure to support people in creating new activities.

Barbara – reconciling political short-term and long-term needs is through legal frameworks and long-term agreements that are sitting things in these frameworks helps. With each new minister, there is a need to explain things in a way that will make sense to them. The mainstreaming of citizen science is important (it already been achieved) then it can be normal. Citizen science is sexy for the media and can be linked to politicians.

Maina -the best way to support citizen science – strengthen partnerships and funding and give money to initiatives. Barbara – include citizen science in all the frameworks – career, funding, research. Susanne – the community keeps going and all the enthusiasm speaks. Dejan – framework condition needs to be there, it is the researchers that are working and making their voice heard is very important.

Funded by the European Union through the European Union’s Horizon Europe Framework Programmes for Research and Innovation under grant agreement No. 101058509 (ECS project). Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Research Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.