- Convenors:
-
Fermín Serrano Sanz
(Fundación Ibercivis)
Elisabetta Marafioti (University of Milano-Bicocca)
Dilek Fraisl (International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA))
Rosy Mondardini (Citizen Science Zurich)
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- Chairs:
-
Dilek Fraisl
(International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA))
Rosy Mondardini (Citizen Science Zurich)
- Format:
- Roundtable
Short Abstract
This roundtable unites policy-makers, RI managers, and CS leaders to explore aligning EU, national, and regional policies for sustainable, federated citizen science infrastructures. Experts will discuss coherence with SDGs, R&I strategies, EOSC, and local frameworks for a shared long-term vision.
Description
This roundtable brings together a diverse group of stakeholders including policy-makers, and representatives from regional governments (e.g., Baltic, Nordic) to explore governance and sustainability models for the Research Infrastructure for Excellent Citizen Science (RIECS).
The session will feature short inputs from convenors and participants (max 5-10 minutes each) followed by an open, moderated debate with the audience. Discussions will focus on collaboration models, policy integration and alignment, co-responsibility, and long-term ownership, drawing on real-life examples and ongoing policy frameworks.The discussion will centre around two main topics:
1. Federated governance: How can we structure co-responsibility across national, regional and thematic actors? How to operationalise federated governance models for citizen science infrastructures? How can local, national, and EU-level policies be better aligned to support long-term, federated citizen science infrastructures like RIECS?
2. Multi-level sustainability: What funding and support models can balance European coordination with local and national investment? How can long-term sustainability be ensured without over-reliance on EU-level funding?
This session will serve both as a forum for high-level strategic dialogue and as a consultation: all insights will feed directly into RIECS-Concept’s roadmap and sustainability plan, shaping a pan-European policy-relevant research infrastructure for citizen science.
Accepted contributions
Short Abstract
Citizen science is already an essential and inescapable step for some science use cases in many large projects. I will briefly outline some European Open Science Cloud (EOSC) use cases for citizen science and some related practical and governance challenges.
Abstract
Major European Union-funded research infrastructure and open science projects have traditionally included dissemination work, for mostly one-way communication of the research activities. I will very briefly discuss our radical re-envisioning of this work in the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC), by directly engaging citizen science volunteers into the research in several Horizon-funded projects: ASTERICS and ACME (multi-messenger astronomy and astroparticle physics), ESCAPE (open science in astronomy, astroparticle physics and high energy collider physics), and ELSA (ESA Euclid space telescope spectroscopy). I will conclude with some discussion points for the roundtable discussion, including opportunities for deploying crowdsourced data mining in the physical sciences and for obtaining training data for machine learning, while dealing in parallel with challenges in the areas of data aggregation, EOSC authentication/authorisation, and the under-representation of crowdsourced data mining in the advisory structures of EOSC.
My position for the roundtable discussions will be that the primary goal of citizen science must always be to answer a fundamental research question; if public engagement is the primary goal to optimise, then other, more targeted approaches may be more effective.
(I've been invited by Maria Rosa (Rosy) Mondardini to contribute to her roundtable discussion on crowdsourced data mining / citizen science. I hope the abstract above is what you're looking for.)
Short Abstract
RIECS-Concept explores the feasibility, governance, and sustainability of a pan-European Research Infrastructure for Citizen Science. In this quick introduction, we will share our vision plus details about the co-design process: methodologies, engagement model, strategic plans and first results.
Abstract
RIECS-Concept explores the feasibility, governance, and sustainability of a pan-European Research Infrastructure (RI) for Excellent (E) Citizen Science (CS). In this introductory presentation, we will share our vision for a federated and co-owned infrastructure, together with details of the conceptualization and co-design process that underpins its future development.
The project is structured around three objectives: (1) assessing the technical feasibility of RIECS, including services, resources, and approaches to data and metadata integration; (2) developing a strategic roadmap for governance, sustainability, and implementation; and (3) fostering open, participatory governance through continuous engagement with diverse stakeholders.
Our methodology combines desk research, stakeholder mapping, and co-design activities with ten stakeholder groups, ranging from citizens and practitioners to policymakers, NGOs, technology providers, and existing infrastructures. This engagement feeds directly into key outputs such as a catalogue of services and resources forming a conceptual design, and an implementation and sustainability roadmap for the future implementation. These results are expected to provide the essential foundation for RIECS’s future application to the ESFRI (European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures) roadmap.
At ECSA 2026, we will share first results and lessons from the initial engagement cycle. These include requirements, solutions and expectations for both technical and non-technical aspects that should facilitate the policy roundtable. This contribution will also offer an overview of our strategic mission and vision, inviting a dialogue with the citizen science community and policy stakeholders on how RIECS can become an impactful research infrastructure serving science, policy, and society.