INCENTIVE

Context

Research Performing and Funding Organisations (RPFOs) of Europe face a critical challenge: how to promote scientific excellence while making sure that science and innovation remain inclusive and benefit society? Global challenges like climate change, resource depletion and ecological destruction call for a strong alliance between science and society. The successful fulfilment of RPFO’s mission on answering those challenges requires the adoption of Responsible Research and Innovation principles into their practice and governance, thus calling citizens and stakeholders to mutually cooperate with scientists.

About the project

INCENTIVE empowered European RPFOs to embrace Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) through the paradigm of Citizen Science – a democratic and collaborative way of designing, implementing and monitoring scientific progress and technological growth.

Citizen Science Hubs are the vehicle to succeed in this process. INCENTIVE followed a coherent methodology to help RPFOs establish their own hub, from the conceptualization and set-up, to their full operationalisation. The diversity in the profiles of participating RPFOs – University of Twente (the Netherlands), Autonomous University of Barcelona (Spain), Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Greece), and Vilnius Gediminas Technical University (Lithuania) – was an excellent way to test the method in different real-life settings and create a model that can be adopted at international scale.

Citizen Science Zurich supported the project with its experience and knowledge in establishing and running a Citizen Science Hub.