Record Eclipse Shadow Bands at the August 12, 2026 Eclipse

During the few moments before and after totality, rippling patterns called shadow bands race across the ground. This citizen science project invites eclipse observers across Iceland and Spain to record shadow bands and help answer questions that remain largely unexplored Why Participate? • Witness one of nature’s rarest optical phenomena. • Contribute to genuine scientific research. • Help answer questions about how location and altitude influence shadow bands. • Be part of an international citizen science effort. • Receive detailed observing instructions before the eclipse. We're Looking for Volunteers • Locations near the eclipse centerline in Iceland or Spain. • Locations near the edge of totality in Iceland or Spain. • High-altitude observation sites in Iceland or Spain. • If you're already planning to travel to Iceland or Spain for the eclipse, your observations could be especially valuable. See the following for more details: https://joeengineerpilot.github.io/EclipseShadowBandTool/2026_Citizen_Science_Event.pdf https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.09621

No project is an island|Bridges towards a joint legacy for the future of citizen science in Europe

Citizen science thrives on collaboration between researchers, policymakers, innovators, and the public. Yet within the citizen science community itself, a critical question remains: do we have the infrastructure to enable effective, lasting knowledge exchange across initiatives and projects? No project operates in isolation, and the collective learning generated across the field represents an underutilised asset for science and policymaking alike. At a time when public engagement is increasingly recognised as essential to rebuilding trust in institutions and tackling mis- and disinformation, the connections we build within the citizen science ecosystem matter more than ever. Sharing what works and what doesn't strengthens the community's capacity to deliver the scientific, environmental, and societal benefits that make citizen science a genuine return on investment for Europe. This summer, both the ECS and IMPETUS projects reach their conclusion. Before they do, we want to invite the citizen science community to come together to reflect on how these projects have supported citizen science across Europe and to celebrate the real-world impacts this work has made possible. The event will also provide an opportunity to hear from new and established citizen science projects, alongside stakeholders and decision-makers, ensuring that the momentum built can be sustained and that science continues to serve the society it represents. Building on the Citizen Science Archipelago series from the ECS project, this gathering reaffirms a founding principle of the citizen science community: no project is an island. Mutual exchange is not simply a nice-to-have; it is the foundation on which the continued growth and impact of citizen science depends.

Strengthening Public Engagement in Research: Evidence, Impact, and Future Pathways

In collaboration with the IMPETUS and RIECS projects, ECS is organising a final policy event entitled "Strengthening Public Engagement in Research: Evidence, Impact, and Future Pathways" in Brussels. We will present engaging scenarios featuring real-life citizen science projects and share impact stories from European policymakers. These examples aim to highlight not only what has been achieved so far, but also the potential for even greater impact if support mechanisms for citizen science are strengthened. Following the presentations, there will be opportunities for networking and engaging with interactive elements over coffee and light refreshments. This event is primarily targeted at MEPs and European policymakers, but we may be able to open additional attendance spots depending on capacity. To register your interest, please contact Nadia at Nadia.Bates[at]mfn.berlin

ECSA's Aquatic Working Group webinar series

ECSA's Aquatic Working Group is launching a webinar series, with the first one coming on the 21st of May! The first webinar is titled "Creating a European Network of Citizen Science Projects on Freshwater Macroinvertebrates: Towards Comparison and Harmonization" - it will host a number of experts presenting their work from major European based projects focused on the topic. The listed projects are Riverfly Project (UK), CS Stream Index (CSSI) & (SSIS) (Ireland), RiuNet (Spain), and FLOW (Germany). Anyone interested can join us at the zoom link provided, and a recording of the webinar will be made available on ECSA's YouTube channel. See you soon and stay tuned for more!

Layers of Values: Exploring Impact in Culture, Art and Education

On 25 September 2025, in the framework of MONDIACULT 2025, Layers of values: Exploring Impact in Culture, Art and Education will take place as an international meeting dedicated to advancing inclusive impact assessment in the arts, culture, and education sectors. In a time when social inclusion, civic participation, emotional well-being, and ecological transition are urgent priorities, the convergence of arts, culture, and education has proven to be a driver for building more diverse, resilient, and imaginative societies. Yet, despite the richness of this field, many initiatives still operate in isolation, and valuable learning remains fragmented. The event will gather projects, practitioners, and researchers working at the intersection of culture, education, and research to address complex evaluation challenges: capturing intangible outcomes, defining success with vulnerable groups or informal settings, and measuring layered impacts that go beyond simple metrics. Drawing on the New European Bauhaus values — beauty, sustainability, and inclusion — it will offer a space for peer exchange, co-creation, and methodological innovation. Organised by the EU-funded PULSE-ART project, in cooperation with European Citizen Science (ECS), the meeting aims to embed diversity not as an optional goal, but as a foundational condition for equitable impact. It will also strengthen connections between cultural, educational, and citizen science initiatives, paving the way for shared tools and collaborative frameworks. If your work touches on culture, education, or citizen science — and you are committed to developing rigorous, inclusive evaluation practices — this event offers a unique opportunity to exchange knowledge and shape the future of impact assessment

ScienceUs Info Day: From Knowledge to Action for Biodiversity

Join us on September 23 at 10:00 AM for our ScienceUs Info Day. This session on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services will showcase three inspiring initiatives from the SEED phase of ScienceUs. Among them: Acqua Sorgente, introducing their project on spring water monitoring together with Alpine Clubs. Also connect with: Night Owl 2.0 - Associació Taxus ¡Por otra Alimentación, Jóvenes en Acción! - Sustainable Living Foundation With the Infoday we give inspirations, how to overcome “learned helplessness” in biodiversity action with citizen science approaches: Discover how citizen science can mobilize communities, build resilience, and turn awareness into tangible impact for ecosystems. Take part in this exchange, connect with stakeholders, and explore how collaborative research can drive change for biodiversity.

Living Danube Challenge - Ignite NEB Event 2025

Changemakers ignite nature stewardship in the Danube River Basin. Are you a changemaker eager to apply citizen-led, nature-based solutions to local challenges in the Danube River Basin? And do you want to pitch for a 10k-valued development trajectory to transform your idea into a real business or initiative? Join us for DANUBE4All x EIT Community NEB’s Living Danube Challenge! The Living Danube Challenge is a free innovation launchpad for emerging changemakers ready to restore and protect the Danube River Basin through nature-based solutions and citizen-led action. Co-produced by EIT’s Ignite NEB Programme, DANUBE4all, PULSAQUA, and ZSI, the program includes: ️- A dynamic series of three online trainings (17:00-18:00 CET on Wednesdays, September 17, 24, and October 1) on nature-based solutions, citizen science, and social business strategy - A two-day in-person ideation sprint at BOKU University’s River Lab in Vienna (October 10-11 2025) with workshops & arts programming - A pitch process towards an 8-month, 10k-valued development trajectory to bring 3 winning ideas to life. Registrations are now open until September 15th.

Education for Climate Community Café - How do you become an Energy Community?

AURORA - Joint event with the Education for Climate Group Community Café 10th September 2025 from 17.00hrs - 18.00hrs Topic School Energy Communities To join the event register here - https://education-for-climate.ec.europa.eu/community/challenge_hub/event/community-cafe-september, This is an exciting event where you can learn about how the Palomeras Cultural Centre School in Spain has pioneered the first school Energy Community in Madrid with the AURORA project. The school, in a working class area of Madrid, has installed solar energy on the roof tops of their buildings, along with two air source heat pumps to keep the classrooms cool in summer. Funds of €140,000 have been raised from their community, staff and parents of the school, along with students and professors from the Technical University of Madrid as part of a share offer. This means everyone can have a stake in the energy transition. Lower energy bills, no capital cost to the school and a small return on investments from everyone supporting the scheme. It really is true that such transformations not only lower carbon emissions, supporting efforts to reach net zero carbon, but they also lower costs by diverting what would have been fossil fuel profits, back into the local community. The renewable energy generated will also be tracked via the AURORA energy tracker app to allow investors to see the energy being generated and to offset their own personal carbon emissions based on the investment they have made. It will join other projects at Aarhus University Denmark and Ljubljana University Slovenia already connected to the AURORA Energy Tacker app . Could schools in your country follow their lead and be the first school in your town, in your city, moving away from fossil fuels towards the future of clean renewable energy. A teacher from the school will explain what it is has meant to the students and staff of the Palomeras Cultural Centre school in Spain. The whole café event will be an opportunity for open discussion, facilitated by Martin Brocklehurst from the AURORA PROJECT, so that you can understand how to follow the lead that has been set. Looking to the future EU Legislation has also recently changed allowing the export of surplus renewable energy from community energy schemes through the grid to be sold to users around the installation. Once enacted into National law this would allow the export of surplus energy from Schools during holiday periods to users around the school. A great idea for public swimming pools for instance seeking to heat the pool during the summer holidays when usage rates are at their highest. The future looks bright for community energy schemes. In the UK, once the Governments strange block on Power Purchase Agreements on public buildings is removed we can perhaps also follow the EU lead and recommence community energy schemes on schools buildings.

Cluster event: Advancing Public Engagement and Citizen Science in the ERA

The event will celebrate citizen science and showcase the value of public engagement, highlighting best practices, guiding future policy, sharing knowledge and building collaboration. The 2025 EU Citizen Science Prize winners will also be announced! REA is proud to co-host a cluster event which will gather researchers and policymakers to discuss the impact of public engagement on evidence-based policymaking. In addition, - The event will provide a platform to showcase successful and innovative citizen engagement strategies, while reinforcing the value of “Bringing science closer to citizens” within the European Research Area. - EU-funded research projects will present their citizen science and public engagement experience and share best practices. - The winners of the EU Prize for Citizen Science will be announced. The Prize rewards outstanding citizen science initiatives that address social, political, cultural, and environmental challenges through the involvement of citizens. The full event will take place in Brussels. Those connected online will be able to follow the plenary session (in the morning) and the winners' announcement (in the afternoon). The event is co-organised by REA and EU-funded projects IMPETUS and ECS.

Citizen Science for Water Conference

Join us 3-5 June in Delft, the Netherlands for the Citizen Science for Water Conference. For this inaugural CS4Water conference, we will focus on freshwater systems, diving into engaging workshop sessions, exploring innovative research, and connecting international water and citizen science experts. The conference will focus on the crucial role citizen science plays within water resource monitoring, management and governance as well as community-led actions. The conference will bring together experienced citizen science practitioners and newcomers from both the Global North and Global South who are interested in exploring how citizen science can contribute to water management.

ACCTING final conference. Empowering change: Building a fair and inclusive Green Deal

The European Green Deal aspires to make Europe the first climate-neutral continent by 2050, with a commitment to ‘leave no one behind.’ However, current environmental policies often overlook the diverse social impacts on marginalised groups. Low-income populations, racial minorities, women, or rural communities frequently bear the brunt of environmental challenges, while also facing significant barriers to accessing green solutions. These groups are often excluded from decision-making processes despite possessing the necessary local knowledge and demonstrating resilience and innovation in the face of environmental challenges. ACCTING has critically examined the social and economic impacts of the European Green Deal on marginalised groups. By employing a gender+ intersectional approach, the project has demonstrated how Green Deal policies affect individual and collective behaviours, potentially exacerbating existing inequalities. Based on these extensive research insights, ACCTING has developed innovative, evidence-based solutions, including pilot actions and thematic recommendations that empower vulnerable communities and guide inclusive policymaking. The ACCTING Final Conference, “Empowering Change: Building a Fair and Inclusive Green Deal,” invites a diverse audience of civil society representatives, NGOs, policymakers, researchers, and Green Deal stakeholders to engage with actionable strategies for achieving a socially just and inclusive Green Deal.

From Citizens to Science: Tools Driving Climate Action

On April 28, 2025, during the European Geosciences Union (EGU) in Vienna, the H2020 I-CHANGE project will hold its final scientific event titled “From Citizens to Science: Tools Driving Climate Action” Over the past four year, I-CHANGE has worked to place citizens at the core of climate action, demonstrating that informed, empowered communities are essential for achieving behavioural change. By combining active citizen participation, innovative technologies, and scientific collaboration, the project has fostered behavioural transformations towards more sustainable living. This closing event will present the outcomes of I-CHANGE, showcasing results from its eight Living Labs across Europe and beyond. These Living Labs served as active hubs for environmental monitoring, and community engagement, emphasizing how citizens can observe and reduce their own environmental impacts. The event will feature the presentation of the project’s final results, including scientific findings, technological and engaging activities that have been implemented to raise climate change awareness and foster participatory science. It will also include talks from sister projects involved in citizen science initiatives related to climate change, and offer reflections on how citizen-generated data can complement scientific observations and help shape a more sustainable future. In addition, on May 1, 2025, key I-CHANGE results will be featured during the EGU session titled “Engaging Citizens in Understanding Urban Climate and Climate Change Risks through Participatory Science.” This session invites contributions that explore citizen participation, crowdsourced data collection, and effective practices for integrating the public into climate adaptation efforts across Europe. For more information, please visit here