Supporting citizen science in the EUTOPIA alliance
Expanding the story of Science Outreach at VUB
Conference
Format: Pecha Kucha
Topic: Open Science & Responsible Research & Innovation
Session: 🔵 Pecha Kucha session on Open Science & Responsible Research & Innovation topics
Wednesday 26 April 9:15 a.m. - 10:15 a.m. (UTC)
Abstract
At the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), the launch of a central Citizen Science (CS) Contact Point is supported both by the 2021-2024 research council policy plan, and by the framework of our university alliance EUTOPIA. Within the alliance, the EUTOPIA TRAIN (Transformation) project (funded under Horizon 2020 SwafS) is committed to promoting a connected and inclusive academic community through a deep engagement of the alliance with its local and regional ecosystems. The project links the research communities of the partners with the local and international needs of multiple stakeholders (society, business, students, policymakers) from the formulation of a research agenda to its execution and the dissemination of results.
That is why CS plays such an important role within the project, and why the project allowed for VUB to be a forerunner in piloting a combined approach supporting and expanding the application of this research method at our university.
In this Pecha Kucha I will tell you how, in parallel with EUTOPIA TRAIN, our Department of Research managed to set up the CS contact point while launching 1) an internal call for CS projects, 2) an online CS Starter Kit and 3) peer learning sessions for researchers, the EUTOPIA TRAIN Citizen Science Clinics.
My presentation intends to clarify the benefits of this combined approach and inspire other universities and alliances to adopt CS methods for research.