10 years of the Citizen Science Observatory in Spain: a tool at the service of participatory research

On 15 July 2026, the event celebrating the Observatory’s 10th anniversary was held, a unique opportunity to bring together researchers, project managers and participants in citizen science projects.

The event also served to present the new features of its online platform, a hub that brings together technology and society at the service of citizens and the research community.

Today, 15 July, we celebrated, in the Paraninfo’s Aula Magna at the Universidad de Zaragoza, ten years of the observatory managed by Ibercivis, which has served to weave a national network of initiatives, projects, resources, researchers, institutions and participants in citizen science projects. The event was chaired by our president and rector of the Universidad de Zaragoza, Rosa Bolea, and was also attended by María Jesús Lázaro, institutional delegate of CSIC Aragón. In her opening remarks, the rector highlighted the importance of citizen science within the university’s strategic plan and the milestone represented by the adoption of the online platform developed by Ibercivis by various European institutions, such as the European, Italian and Dutch citizen science associations and UNESCO, underscoring Ibercivis’s capacity for technological development.

*_{María Jesús Lázaro, institutional delegate of the CSIC in Aragón; Rosa Bolea, rector of the Universidad de Zaragoza; and Francisco Sanz, director of Ibercivis.}*

New features to keep weaving networks and initiatives

_{Francisco Sanz, director of Ibercivis, and Maite Pelacho, Observatory coordinator and project manager at Ibercivis.}

Our director Francisco Sanz described the new features of the Observatory’s online platform, which turns it into a virtual hub for finding initiatives, resources, institutions and projects that use citizen science methodologies. Users have full control over the information shown about their project, along with a wide range of reports, statistics and metrics that allow for better management of their initiative. The platform pays particular attention to data ownership and the ethical use of the data it hosts, enabling comprehensive management of citizen science projects’ presence on the network, improving their visibility, and enabling collaboration between the research community and the public.

Success stories and a look to the future

This celebration event also featured Enrique Torres and Guillermo Orduña, who shared their experience within the SERVET Project — Enrique as part of the organizing committee, and Guillermo representing the participating community. We also enjoyed a dialogue on the future of citizen science between Fermín Serrano and Manuel González Bedia, Vice-Rector for Innovation, Transfer and Lifelong Learning at the Universidad de Zaragoza.

*_{Enrique Torres, coordinator of the SERVET project, and Guillermo Orduña, project participant.}*

_{Manuel González, Vice-Rector for Innovation, Transfer and Lifelong Learning at the Universidad de Zaragoza, and Fermín Serrano, coordinator of the RIECS project and project manager at Ibercivis.}

Thank you to everyone who joined us on this day celebrating citizen science in Spain. The event recording is available on YouTube.

If you are interested in citizen science, manage an initiative, or belong to the research community, we encourage you to take part in the ciencia-ciudadana.es portal.