✅ Citizen science in Europe is at a critical juncture. As initiatives grow in scale, ambition, and societal relevance, so does the need for robust, long-term infrastructures that can support them across borders, disciplines, and governance levels.

✅ These challenges take centre stage at “Building a federated future: Conceptualising governance and sustainability for the pan-European Citizen Science infrastructure”, a roundtable session at ECSA2026: Citizen Science between Centre and Periphery.

A strategic roundtable for a shared European vision

✅ Taking place on Thursday, 5 March 2026 (14:30–16:15, Europe/Helsinki time) in the University of Oulu, Finland, LO102, this roundtable (R14) is designed as a high-level yet participatory forum.

✨ It brings together policymakers, research infrastructure managers, and citizen science leaders to tackle one central question: how can Europe build a sustainable, federated citizen science infrastructure that works across local, national, and EU levels?

✨ The discussion is closely linked to the development of the Research Infrastructure for Excellent Citizen Science (RIECS-Concept) and its long-term roadmap.

Convenors and chairs

✳️ The session is convened by a diverse and experienced team representing research, policy, and practice:

✨ Fermín Serrano Sanz – Fundación Ibercivis

✨ Elisabetta Marafioti – University of Milano-Bicocca

✨ Dilek Fraisl – CSGP & IIASA

✨ Rosy Mondardini – Citizen Science Zurich

✨ The roundtable is chaired by Dilek Fraisl and Rosy Mondardini, ensuring continuity between strategic framing and interactive debate.

Discussants:

✨Frederike Schmitz (Open Science NL (NWO))

✨Timo Pyhälahti (Finnish Environment Institute (Syke))

✨Austin Mast (Florida State University)

What the discussion will focus on

✅ After short, focused inputs from convenors and invited participants (5-10 minutes each), the session opens into a moderated dialogue with the audience. The debate is structured around two interlinked themes:

1. Federated governance

📌 Participants will explore how co-responsibility can be structured across national, regional, and thematic actors. Key questions include:

⚫How can federated governance models for citizen science infrastructures be operationalised in practice?

⚫ How can EU-level strategies (e.g., SDGs, R&I policies, EOSC) be aligned with national and regional frameworks?

⚫What governance arrangements enable inclusivity while maintaining coherence at scale?

2. Multi-level sustainability

✅ Long-term sustainability is impossible without diversified support. This part of the discussion will address:

⚫ Funding and support models that balance European coordination with national and local investment

⚫ Strategies to avoid over-reliance on EU-level funding

⚫ Mechanisms for shared ownership and long-term institutional commitment

📌 Concrete examples from regional contexts (including Nordic and Baltic perspectives) and existing policy frameworks will ground the discussion in real-world practice.

More than a discussion: a policy consultation

✅ This roundtable is not only a space for exchange but also a consultative mechanism. Insights gathered during the session will feed directly into the RIECS-Concept roadmap and sustainability plan, helping shape a pan-European, policy-relevant research infrastructure for citizen science.

🔗 More information: https://www.ecsa2026.ngo/programme/#17131

Published 2026-03-03