RIECS-Concept Highlights Citizen Science at the EOSC Symposium 2026 in Florence
✳️ The RIECS-Concept project will participate in the EOSC Symposium 2026: Connecting Users, Data, and Services, taking place in Florence, Italy, 14-16th October, 2026.
✳️ Representing Fundación Ibercivis, Fermín Serrano Sanz will present the latest developments of RIECS-Concept, highlighting citizen science as an emerging research infrastructure community and exploring its integration into the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC).
✳️ The EOSC Symposium 2026 will bring together policymakers, research infrastructure leaders, researchers, funders, data stewards, and other stakeholders to discuss the future of Europe’s research data ecosystem. With the EOSC Federation taking centre stage, the event will demonstrate how interconnected research infrastructures, data, and services can strengthen European research and innovation.
Citizen Science as an Emerging Research Infrastructure Community
🔑 One of the key discussions at the symposium will focus on the contributions and opportunities for European Research Infrastructure Consortia (ERICs) and infrastructures included in the European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI)within EOSC.
✳️ During this discussion, Fermín Serrano Sanz will present citizen science as an emerging research infrastructure community, drawing on the work of RIECS-Concept towards developing a pan-European Research Infrastructure for Excellent Citizen Science.
📌 The presentation will address three interconnected dimensions of the project’s ongoing work:
⚫ Technological development: Exploring the technical foundations needed to connect citizen science initiatives, data, tools, and services within a federated European research ecosystem.
⚫ Participatory governance: Examining governance approaches that support inclusive participation and representation of diverse stakeholders in the development and operation of research infrastructures.
⚫ Long-term institutional sustainability: Considering the potential role of EOSC as a long-term institutional anchor for citizen science research infrastructure in Europe.
✨ These dimensions reflect the RIECS-Concept ambition to strengthen collaboration, interoperability, and sustainability across the European citizen science landscape.
Connecting Citizen Science with the EOSC Federation
✳️ The development of the EOSC Federation presents an important opportunity to strengthen the position of citizen science within Europe’s research infrastructure ecosystem.
✳️ Citizen science brings together researchers, citizens, public institutions, and other stakeholders in collaborative knowledge production. Integrating this community into EOSC could create new opportunities for accessing research services, sharing data, improving interoperability, and connecting citizen-generated knowledge with established scientific infrastructures.
💭 As highlighted in the context of the upcoming presentation:
“EOSC has the opportunity to open itself to citizens as active participants in research. A Citizen Science Node can provide that interface with the necessary trust, quality and access safeguards.”
📌 This perspective emphasises the importance of developing reliable, accessible, and inclusive mechanisms through which citizens can participate in the European research ecosystem.
✨ For RIECS-Concept, the symposium provides an opportunity to contribute to discussions on how citizen science can become an integral part of Europe’s federated research infrastructure landscape, while ensuring that technological solutions are supported by appropriate governance structures and long-term institutional commitments.
Bringing Together Europe’s Research Infrastructure Community
✳️ The EOSC Symposium 2026 is a flagship gathering for stakeholders shaping the future of European open science and research data services.
✳️ The programme features prominent representatives of the international research and policy community, including:
⚫ Anna Maria Bernini (Italy’s Minister of University and Research);
⚫ Manuel Heitor (former Minister of Science, Technology and Higher Education of Portugal);
⚫ Rosie Hicks (CEO of the Australian Research Data Commons);
⚫ Mercè Crosas (Director of the Computational Social Science and Humanities Laboratory at the Barcelona Supercomputing Centre and President of CODATA)
✳️ Through discussions, presentations, and networking opportunities, the symposium will facilitate exchanges on the latest progress of EOSC and the EOSC Federation.
✨ RIECS-Concept’s participation will help bring the perspectives and needs of the citizen science community into these conversations, contributing to the broader ambition of building a more connected, participatory, and sustainable European research ecosystem✨
🔗 Programme: https://indico.global/event/18268/timetable/#20261014
🔗 EOSC Forum: https://forum.eosc.eu/
Published 2026-10-12