OneAquaHealth IEEE Global Hackathon

Join the OneAquaHealth IEEE Global Hackathon 2026 ! A worldwide call to innovators, creators, and problem‑solvers - the IEEE and OneAquaHealth project invite participants from across the globe to co‑create breakthrough solutions for healthier urban freshwater ecosystems. This global hackathon unites AI enthusiasts, environmental thinkers, designers, developers, researchers, and citizen‑science champions to transform real environmental and community data into tools that protect biodiversity, strengthen resilience, and improve human wellbeing. Whether you’re passionate about AI for good, urban water health, biodiversity, climate resilience, or digital innovation, this is your moment to make an impact on a global stage. Build. Collaborate. Innovate - with the world watching. Be part of a global movement shaping smarter, healthier, more sustainable cities. To register for the hackathon, visit: https://oneaquahealth-ieee-hackathon.devpost.com/rules ***Coming Up Next on June 12, 2026: Session 1 - Introducing the OneAquaHealth Project*** Explore the mission, technical tracks, and innovation opportunities behind the IEEE OneAquaHealth Global Hackathon. To register for the webinar, visit: https://www.oneaquahealth.eu/introducing-oneaquahealth-project/

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.

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.

BE THE CHANGE ambassador training

🌊 Ready to BE THE CHANGE? 🌍 Join us for the SPLASH EU Ambassador Training in Figueira da Foz, Portugal – an unforgettable experience for passionate young changemakers! 📅 16–18 July 2025 📍 Campus UC, Figueira da Foz 👥 Ages 18–30 🍽️ Meals & accommodation provided for 25 participants 💥 What’s in it for you? 🔹 Boost your public speaking & communication skills 🔹 Level up your leadership & digital advocacy 🔹 Become a SPLASH-EU Ambassador and advocate for ocean citizenship 👉 Secure your spot NOW: https://lnkd.in/dYaNk3kT 📲 Scan the QR code on the poster for quick access! 📢 Coordinated by: MARE - Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre and MindmeUp L.P. 📢 Supported by: Universidade de Coimbra, EU4Ocean, ACTeon and European Commission

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

Responsible, Trustworthy, and ethical AI in citizen science

The use of AI techniques (such as machine learning, natural language processing, and computer vision) is increasing rapidly across the participatory sciences. Such techniques are used throughout the research process, such as cleaning data before presenting it to volunteers, using volunteers to contribute to the training of machine learning models, in the field data collection aided by computer vision, and creating collaborations between humans and AI to make tasks more engaging and of higher quality. Whilst this can improve the scientific process, it is important to understand the limitations of the use of these techniques, as well as consider the impact on how volunteers understand their role in participatory science. How practitioners communicate the use of AI to volunteers and continue to emphasize the importance of their contributions is also extremely important. To be beneficial to all in the participatory science community, the use of AI must be responsible, ethical, and trustworthy. However, it is not always clear what this means and how it can be applied. This study asks: -What are the opportunities and drawbacks of using AI techniques in citizen science? -What does it mean to be responsible, ethical, and trustworthy in the use of AI? -How should the use of AI in citizen science be advanced? If you are (or have been) involved in planning, carrying out, or taking part in citizen science projects, you are invited to take part in an online survey about your perceptions of the use of AI in citizen science. The survey should take around 20 minutes and you will be asked about -Your experience with citizen science projects -Your experience of AI -Opinions on how/why AI should/should not be used in citizen science -The effects of AI use on volunteers -What the terms ‘responsible’, ‘trustworthy’, and ‘ethical’ mean in the context of using AI in citizen science -How citizen science and human-AI collaboration should develop in the future The results will be presented at the Conference for Advancing Participatory Science in Portland, Oregon, at the end of May 2025.

Nuovi orizzonti per la Citizen Science in Italia

Il secondo convegno nazionale dell'associazione Citizen science Italia, si svolgerà a Bologna dal 9 al 12 aprile 2025.Tre giornate di presentazioni sui nuovi orizzonti della Citizen Science in Italia, che culmineranno nel “Citizen Science Day”, un evento partecipativo aperto a tutta la cittadinanza. Struttura del convegno: - Presentazioni orali: presentazioni “tradizionali” e light talk. Le proposte verranno vagliate dal comitato scientifico tramite una valutazione basata su parametri univoci; - Workshop tematici: momenti di approfondimento su temi specifici basate su metodi inclusivi di interazione fra il pubblico e i facilitatori; - Eventi per il pubblico: durante il Citizen Science Day si svolgeranno diverse iniziative rivolte principalmente al pubblico generico, come il market place per conoscere meglio alcuni progetti e attività dimostrative di raccolta dati; - Assemblea CSI: assemblea dei soci dell’associazione Citizen Science Italia ETS.

Les Prix de la participation 2025

10 ans de récompenses pour les initiatives de la participation citoyenne ! Avec l’ouverture des candidatures le 1er avril, Décider ensemble célébre le lancement de la 10e édition de sa récompense annuelle. ‍ Candidatez du 1er avril au 30 juin 2025 ! Faites reconnaître votre engagement pour une démocratie plus participative !

ECS Collaboration Session - Help build the European Research Infrastructure for Excellence in Citizen Science

Do you want to help build the European Research Infrastructure for Excellence in Citizen Science? The first step is happening in the upcoming ECS Collaboration Session! The RIECS-Concept project will conceptualise the European Research Infrastructure for Excellence in Citizen Science. This RI will integrate citizens’ resources, such as mobile phones and computers, with existing scientific platforms and data collections; and it will offer transversal services, improving accessibility across research communities. The RIECS-Concept project will produce two key outcomes: a conceptual design including a feasibility study, and a five-year implementation plan for the new research infrastructure. These outcomes will provide detailed insights into the diversity and maturity of the concept considering technical, operational, societal, and environmental challenges associated with establishing the permanent and shared infrastructure. This is the very first activity of many to gather inputs and community-based evidence, in collaboration with the ECS project. You will have a chance to not only learn about this important project but also to bring your own input, needs and solutions, independently of your background or scientific domains. Who can join? This Collaboration Session is aimed at the entire Citizen Science community: practitioners, students, researchers, educators, representatives of CS projects and networks, etc.

Citizen science meets potatoes

Join the very first PataFEST Webinar! 📅 Date: Thursday, March 27, 2025 ⏰ Time: 16:00 CET We will explore the intersection of citizen science and the Agri-Food sector! 🔹 Christian Ghidelli (Funditec) will introduce the PataFEST project and its key goals. 🔹 Leo Mensel (European Citizen Science Association) will showcase a variety of engaging activities, including workshops and hands-on molecular biology experiments. 🔹 Anna Verones (European Citizen Science Association) will present the concept of citizen science, sharing inspiring best practices from the Open Soil Atlas and its potential applications in Agri-Food research. Don't miss this opportunity to connect, learn, and get involved! You can register now and be part of the conversation

ECS Collaboration Session - Advocacy in CS

Are you involved in citizen science projects or networks? The ECS Collaboration Sessions give you a platform to learn about different citizen science projects, exchange insights about key topics and competencies in CS, and share updates on your own work with a wide range of CS professionals. The ECS project is organising Collaboration Sessions once every two months. In these online Sessions, CS practitioners have the floor to host presentations, activities, and learning moments for the benefit of the European citizen science community. Do you want to learn about ongoing projects and specific competencies that can boost your own work? You are welcome join and participate in these sessions. Or do you want to host your own session, in which you share insights from your own work with the European CS community? Then, feel free to reach out to alex@stickydot.eu to arrange your session. Upcoming Session: February 4th - Amplify your Impact: Advocacy for Citizen Science Are you passionate about citizen science but unsure how to fully showcase its value to policymakers, funders, or even colleagues in your own organisation? Advocacy is a powerful tool for increasing awareness, recognition, funding, and policy change — but it can be tricky to get right! Join the upcoming ECS collaboration session focused on advocacy training for CS practitioners to learn and practice effective strategies to better communicate the value of your work and secure the support you need for your projects. This session is ideal for citizen science practitioners, project leaders, researchers, educators, and anyone passionate about advancing the field of citizen science. About the speaker: Ilona Kish With a wealth of experience in policy development and advocacy, Ilona has been a driving force behind numerous campaigns that have successfully highlighted the value of libraries to policymakers, funders, and communities across Europe and beyond. As Director of Public Libraries 2030, Ilona has been working to expand and reinforce the role of public libraries as beacons of citizen participation in science – and she sees the crucial role that advocacy skills play both in mainstreaming CS in Europe and in securing support for organisations working in the field. Session details: February 4th, 11:00 - 12:30 CET Online Format: Presentation from advocacy expert Ilona Kish + interactive group activities Interested in joining? Enter your email address below to receive the invite.