IMPACT

RIECS-Concept is based on a clear strategy of building a strong technical and conceptual foundation that will inform the future design and development of the RIECS. It offers a well-thought community-based methodology to understand the drivers, challenges, and motivations of all stakeholders relevant for Citizen Science, delivering the conceptualisation of a series of technological enablers to ultimately foster the creation of RIECS and fulfil the objectives of the European Research Area.

All project outputs will be promoted through a communication and dissemination plan and activities for awareness raising. Through a continuous participatory approach, the implementation of RIECS-Concept may catalyse systemic change in the Citizen Science community with progressive and significant lasting effects in its operations, outcomes, and impacts.

This will be achieved through work at two levels.

FIRST LEVEL

First, at the socio-technical and scientific research level, RIECS-Concept will perform a research methodology that collectively, with key stakeholder and user communities, identify technologies and co-conceptualise the architecture for developing the research infrastructures; resulting in the creation of a feasibility study. Data-related aspects like curation, preservation, and access will also be worked here. Our holistic approach, addressing multiple interconnected communities, rather than isolated, is expected to have ripple effects throughout the entire ecosystem toward excellence.

SECOND LEVEL

Second, on the planification, governance, sustainability and awareness raising level, RIECS-Concept will compile and condense all required aspects for the future deployment of the research infrastructure (including aspects, like financial plans, beyond the computational levels) and its inclusion into a carefully planned implementation roadmap. Here, we will generate a sustainable pathway for the inclusion of RIECS in ESFRI in the medium term. Again, collaboration among stakeholders is key to success to enable a paradigm-shift (e.g., towards distributed governance structures).

Over the course of 36 month

Over the course of 36 months, the RIECS-Concept project will produce two key outcomes: a conceptual design including a feasibility study and a five-year implementation plan for the new research infrastructure. These outcomes will provide detailed insights into the diversity and maturity of the concept considering technical, operational, societal, and environmental challenges associated with establishing the permanent and shared infrastructure.