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Short Abstract

Spain has over 20 years of CS experience, supported by national laws and the Open Science Strategy. The 2024 Madrid workshop co-created policy recommendations on awareness, access, incentives, training, and infrastructures. Progress is clear, but sustainability needs coordinated strategies.

Abstract

Spain has more than 20 years of CS experience, supported by policy framework and strong tradition of public engagement. Recent legal and strategic instruments—the Law of Science, Technology, and Innovation (Law 17/2022), the Organic Law of the University System (Law 2/2023), and the National Strategy on Open Science (2023–2027)—explicitly recognize CS as a pillar of open and participatory research. Institutions such as Fundación Ibercivis and the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology (FECYT) have played a central role in advancing the field, creating national observatories and databases, and providing targeted funding opportunities. However, despite this progress, many initiatives remain fragile due to fragmented support, short-term funding schemes, and reliance on European programmes.

As part of the ECS project, Science For Change and Ibercivis led the national policy workshop Co-creating Change: Citizen Science, Impact, and National Policies in Madrid on 31/10/2024. The event brought together 4H stakeholders to identify motivations, barriers, and opportunities for mainstreaming CS within the Spanish research and innovation system. Through a co-creation process with backcasting methodology, participants developed actionable recommendations focused on raising awareness, expanding access, providing targeted incentives, strengthening training and academic recognition, and embedding CS within open data infrastructures.

These outcomes were consolidated in the Policy Brief on CS in Spain, published on 25/02/2025, which outlines concrete strategies to sustain and scale CS nationally. Spain’s experience illustrates achievements and ongoing challenges, underscoring the importance of coordinated efforts between national and regional actors to fully realize the transformative potential of CS for science, policy, and society.