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Short Abstract

Portugal has a growing citizen science (CS) community, consolidated with the RPCC in 2023 but facing limited funding and policy integration. The 2025 Lisbon workshop co-created recommendations on recognition, funding, capacity, and policy embedding, published in the ECS Policy Brief (31/07/2025).

Abstract

Citizen science (CS) in Portugal is gaining visibility and institutional recognition, with the formal establishment of the Portuguese Citizen Science Network (RPCC) in 2023 marking a key step. Yet major challenges persist, including the lack of dedicated national funding schemes, overreliance on voluntary structures, and limited integration of CS into overarching research and innovation policies.

As part of the European Citizen Science (ECS) project, the national workshop Ecossistemas de Ciência Cidadã e Políticas Locais-Regionais-Nacionais (Lisbon, July 2025) convened quadruple helix stakeholders to identify challenges and co-create actionable recommendations. These outcomes are consolidated in the ECS Policy Brief on Citizen Science in Portugal (31 July 2025), which highlights the need to formally support RPCC, establish sustainable multi-level funding frameworks (including tax incentives), expand capacity-building, and embed CS within a coherent national policy ecosystem.

Beyond the ECS framework, citizen science has also been featured in high-level academic fora. The Seminário de Jovens Cientistas of the Lisbon Academy of Sciences hosted a panel on CS at the Ciência, Humanidades e Sociedade conference. This will result in a forthcoming publication, including the chapter “Ciência Cidadã: o potencial e os desafios na implementação de um modelo de ciência aberta” (Leão, Luís, Magalhães, Monteiro, Pereira, 2025).

Finally, Portugal is actively contributing to the Mutual Learning Exercise on Science Communication in R&I (COALESCE project, 2025), which includes citizen science. Its policy report, expected in time for the ECSA Conference, will add further insights into the positioning of CS in national and European science policy.