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We look back on the year 2024 and the various highlights that shaped it. For the first time, we are also publishing a short and concise annual report. It illustrates the most important facts and figures in a visually appealing format. At the same time, we give you an insight into the latest upcoming projects, courses and events coming up in the new year.
An important pillar of Citizen Science Zurich is our practical support in the planning and implementation of Citizen Science projects. This year, we were actively involved in 34 projects. This figure does not include 26 of the 28 projects that used our digital tools. In addition, we conducted 46 consultations in which we helped people who were planning a Citizen Science project or had encountered challenges in their ongoing projects. We also successfully carried out the sixth Seed Grant Call. Thanks to the support of the Mercator Foundation Switzerland, a total of five new pilot projects were funded. Citizen Science Zurich has so far supported a total of 39 projects through the Seed Grants since 2019, which corresponds to a total of CHF 1,420,000. The current call for proposals for the year 2025 runs until 2 March, 2025.
At various events and presentations, we were able to reach over 1,700 people and spark their interest in Citizen Science. A further 270 people took part in our wide range of courses this year and expanded their knowledge and skills in the field of Citizen Science. On the one hand, we held established formats as usual. These included the workshop for libraries and archives, the course series Methods on Mondays and the biannual workshop on data management. Another highlight was the semester course for students at the University of Zurich.
On the other hand, 2024 was characterized by the development and piloting of new formats. The newly published e-learning course "Citizen Science entdecken" (Discover Citizen Science) is worth mentioning. Easily accessible and at your own pace, you can gain insights and get to know the basics of Citizen Science. We also tested the new "Ideas Lab" format. With this co-creative project workshop, we connect stakeholders from science and society and support them in developing new project ideas around a selected topic. This year's topic was "the moving city". In this blog article, we look back on the two exciting days.
Another highlight this year was the publication of the interactive checklist. Developed together with Schweiz forscht, it supports project managers in the planning and implementation of their participatory projects.
Looking ahead to the current year, there are once again exciting projects, courses and events on the agenda. On the one hand, there is the "Citizen Science Connected" project, in which we are establishing a network of so-called Citizen Science Points of Contact at higher education institutions across Switzerland. On the other hand, we are involved in another EU project. The "RIECS" project is conceptualizing Citizen Science infrastructure that uses both citizens' resources and scientific resources to offer transversal services to the research community.
There are two important course announcements. One is the collaborative seminar "Citizens Consider(ed)" with the University of Konstanz. Students from both universities will develop their own Citizen Science projects on the topic of AI-supported sustainability concepts and implement them together with practice partners. On the other hand, our CAS "Citizen Science & Public Engagement" will be held for the first time this fall, subject to the approval of the study program ordinance by the Extended University Board. The modular blended learning course lasts one year and awards 15 ECTS credits. It is aimed at researchers and professionals in research-related environments (e.g. museums, archives, libraries, NGOs, administration) with an interest in participatory project work. You can register here for our CAS updates. More information will follow soon.
And finally, the events. On 6 - 7 November 2025, the second global conference "Citizen Science for Health" (CS4Health) will take place in Zurich. We are organizing the conference in collaboration with the ECSA working group "Citizen Science For Health". You can register via this form to receive email updates about the conference. More information will also follow here.
With this exciting outlook, we wish you all a good year 2025 and look forward to many shared moments and exchanges.
Editor: Ursina Roffler
Illustrations: Ursina Roffler
