European Citizen Science Association (ECSA)

Vision and mission

Our vision is that all citizens in Europe are valued and empowered as actors in advancing knowledge and innovation, and thus supporting sustainable development. We want to establish citizen science as a recognized, promoted and funded approach, one that fosters scientific literacy and the democratization of science. Through this, we want to see an increase in the social relevance and sustainable impact of research, and a stronger evidence base for policy processes, in Europe and globally.

To realize our vision, ECSA aims to:

• become the central hub for new and existing citizen science initiatives and networks, in Europe and beyond
• contribute to building a strong citizen science community
• provide high-quality tools and training materials to increase the number of well-trained citizen science practitioners
• set standards for good practice in citizen science
• strengthen the links between citizen science practice and policy
• support the dissemination and use of quality-assured data, in science and by decision-makers
• enhance the validation of citizen-generated datasets and support technological advancements
• advocate for citizen science as an approach for tracking progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals
• provide a legal framework that gives our members the support they need to carry out citizen science projects without legal objection.

ECSA sees citizen science as an open, inclusive approach. We support the exploration of how citizen science should be understood and practised, and help to shape different aspects of the citizen science movement, in Europe and around the world. Ultimately, this will lead to a better understanding of citizen science, and support the use of its outcomes in decision-making.

ECSA’s mission is to connect citizens and science; to promote sustainable development through citizen science; and to ensure that citizen science contributes to policy processes.

ECSA members have contributed to many significant documents in the field of citizen science, especially the 10 Principles of Citizen Science, and the Characteristics of Citizen Science.

Executive board

The executive board is responsible for the formal representation of ECSA and its business conduct. It is elected at each ECSA General Assembly for a period of three years and instructs the ECSA headquarters. The current executive board was elected at the ECSA General Assembly in November 2020.

Board of directors

ECSA’s board of directors advises the executive board and sets the scientific guidelines for ECSA’s work. Each ECSA General Assembly appoints up to seven ECSA members to the board of directors for a period of three years. The board of directors meets at least once a year and makes decisions by a simple majority. The current board of directors was elected at the ECSA General Assembly in November 2020.

Former board members:

• Aletta Bonn, board member
• Andrea Sforzi, board member
• Enrico Balli, vice chair
• Katrin Vohland, vice chair
• Lucy Robinson, vice chair
• Luigi Ceccaroni, vice chair
• Margaret Gold, board member
• Muki Haklay, vice chair
• Soledad Luna, board member
• Uta Wehn, board member
• Zen Makuch, board member

ECSA Headquarters Team

The ECSA Headquarters is currently housed in the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin. From here, the association is led by the management, in consultation with the Executive Board. It supports the activities of the working groups, manages ECSA’s external and internal communication and organises ECSA’s events. It advises ECSA members on how to link their activities to ECSA’s objectives. ECSA headquarters also works on citizen science projects.

Former team members:

• Alicia Moreno Muñoz, student assistant
• André Mascarenhas, project officer
• Andrea Troncoso, project officer
• Barbara Carneiro, student assistant
• Ciara Davies, student assistant / project officer
• Claudia Göbel, project officer
• Franziska Sattler, student assistant
• Gaia Agnello, project officer
• Gerhard Schleenstein, project officer
• Gina Maskell, student assistant
• Giulia Melilli, student assistant
• Helen Feord, intern
• Holly Woodward, intern
• Margaret Gold, project officer
• Mariana Vidal Merino, project officer
• Marzia Mazzonetto, project officer
• Simone Rüfenacht, project officer
• Soledad Luna, administrator
• Tim Woods, communications and community officer
• Veronika French, administrator

Advisory board

The advisory board guides ECSA on strategic and policy matters, and reviews annual reports and ECSA accounts. The members meet regularly and report to the general assembly. The advisory board consists of up to 12 people, who are not ECSA members. Advisory board members are elected for three years at ECSA general assemblies, and any ECSA member can nominate someone. Advisory board members can be academics, political actors or people interested in citizen science. Our current advisory board members represent research councils, regulatory organizations and government agencies, as well as members of the public.

• Dan Stanton, Arizona State University
• Darlene Cavalier, Arizona State University / SciStarter / Science Cheerleaders / ECAST
• Henrietta L. Moore, Institute for Global Prosperity / UCL
• José Miguel Rubio Iglesias, European Environment Agency
• Julie Dirwimmer, Quebec Office of the Chief Scientist
• Renee Sieber, McGill University
• Sven Schade, Joint Research Center of the European Commission

Former advisory board members

• Alan Irwin, Copenhagen Business School
• Eileen Scanlon, The Open University
• Ferdinando Boero, University of Salento
• Heiner Benking, independent journalist, consultant, curator, scholar and facilitator
• Ines Mehu-Blantar, Institut für Molekulare Biotechnologie GmbH
• Jan Riise, Mistra Urban Futures
• Michael Sogaard Jorgensen, Center for Design, Innovation and Sustainable Transition, Aalborg University
• Roger Owen, Scottish Environment Protection Agency

Partners

To promote and advance citizen science, in Europe and globally, ECSA partners with organizations, networks, institutions and projects whose work is connected to citizen science.