Towards a Pan-European Research Infrastructure for Excellent Citizen Science

RIECS-Concept starts the initiative to conceptualise Research Infrastructure for Citizen Science.

The RIECS-Concept (Towards A Pan-European Research Infrastructure For Excellent Citizen Science) project officially started on January 1, 2025, thus marking the beginning of an ambitious initiative to build a strong foundation for the future of citizen science in Europe. The project is set for 36 months and will deliver a conceptual design with a feasibility study and a five-year implementation plan. It will tackle technical, societal, and environmental challenges to establish a sustainable and shared Research Infrastructure.

The consortium of RIECS-Concept, led by Ibercivis and co-coordinated with ECSA, brings together 13 partners, including key organisations in the field, such as Citizen Science Global Partnership, IIASA, and CSIC. 

RIECS-Concept aims to conceptualise the new research infrastructure in Europe through the engagement of multiple stakeholders and acknowledging society as a part of the research infrastructure. The projects will bridge typical citizens‘ used resources, such as mobile apps, amateur scientific kits or personal accessibility, with professional scientific resources, such as databases, federated computing and storage facilities, citizen science platforms, and dedicated personnel. The RIECS-Concept will form the base for initiating the unique research infrastructure and consolidating citizen science in Europe.

The RIECS-Concept focuses on three scientific areas – environmental observations, health, and climate change – to facilitate engagement and address cross-cutting issues. These areas serve as a basis for examining citizen science as a scientific case. 

RIECS-Concept has three key objectives.

First objective: Assessing Feasibility and Addressing Challenges.

The first objective is to evaluate the feasibility of developing future citizen science research infrastructure by tackling current challenges and opportunities in the field. This involves creating an open inventory of technological components, services, and resources that will form the foundation of RIECS. The initiative will refine and interconnect the catalogue, address both technological and scientific challenges, and establish links with other Research Infrastructures, such as EOSC, to shape the foundational design. A unified conceptual model will be developed to integrate data and metadata from diverse sources seamlessly

Second Objective: Developing a Strategic Roadmap

The second objective is to design a strategic roadmap for the future lifecycle of the infrastructure. This roadmap will outline actionable steps for decision-makers, focusing on governance, sustainability, and long-term viability. It will be co-designed with stakeholders, including funding agencies, end-users and other relevant actors, to ensure the infrastructure meets their needs.

Third Objective: Fostering Open and Participatory Governance

The third objective is to promote an open, participatory approach to governance. The RIECS-Concept will engage a diverse range of stakeholders from science, technology, policy, and society in the co-design and road mapping activities. This collaborative approach ensures the infrastructure is shaped by its users and effectively serves the broader citizen science community.

By addressing the challenges of fragmentation in the citizen science landscape across Europe and globally, recognizing the evolving role of society as an active partner in scientific endeavours, and ensuring long-term sustainable development, RIECS-Concept will foster cross-disciplinary and multilevel collaboration. These efforts contribute to improving the quality of citizen science data and support initiatives striving for meaningful societal and scientific impacts.

Project factsheet:

The project is funded by the call HORIZON-INFRA-2024-DEV-01-01 - Research infrastructure concept development aiming to support the development of new concepts for the next generation of research infrastructures of the European interest. RIECS-Concept is among four funded projects , out of 25 above-threshold proposals in the call.

Project budget: 2 997 895,75 EUR

Project consortium: 13 partners

Mitarbeiter/innen:

• Dr. Barbara Kieslinger (Projektleitung)
• Dr. Claudia Magdalena Fabian
• Magª. Teresa Schäfer / Schaefer, (formerly known as Holocher-Ertl)
• Mag. Dr. Klaus Schuch

Bereich: Technik & Wissen

Noch keine Partner eingetragen

Tags: citizen science, science communication