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Short Abstract

This pitch presents five Dutch Citizen Science Hubs working on topics like health and biodiversity. CS-NL connects them, fostering mutual learning—offering a model for collaborative citizen science across Europe and beyond.

Abstract

In the Netherlands, five regional Citizen Science (CS) Hubs have been established with funding from Open Science NL. These hubs aim to strengthen the role of citizen science within research organisations by providing local points of expertise, infrastructure, and support. Each hub brings together professional researchers, societal organisations, local stakeholders and citizen scientists to co-create knowledge on diverse societal and environmental topics, including health, biodiversity, and urban living. The hubs offer practical support in areas such as FAIR data management, effective science communication, participatory research design, and navigating ethical and legal issues. By embedding citizen science within institutional frameworks, they contribute to the professionalisation and long-term sustainability of citizen science practices.

To ensure the hubs do not operate in isolation, Citizen Science Nederland (CS-NL) plays a key role in fostering mutual learning and collaboration across the network. CS-NL facilitates regular exchanges, peer-learning opportunities, and joint reflection on methods, tools, and challenges. Through this approach, successful practices and innovations developed in one hub can be shared and adapted by others. This interconnected model enhances the collective impact of the hubs while allowing them to retain their regional or thematic focus. It also offers a scalable and adaptable approach for building citizen science infrastructure in other countries.

In this pitch, we present how mutual learning across Dutch hubs is being shaped and supported and explore how these lessons may inspire similar efforts across Europe and beyond.