European project · Citizen science infrastructure
EOSC-CSN
Designing the thematic node that brings citizen science into the EOSC Federation.
About the project
Over these six months, the project will define the governance, technical architecture and working framework for a thematic node dedicated to public participation within this major European data infrastructure.
EOSC-CSN (EOSC Citizen Science Node) is a six-month preparatory project. Its main deliverable is the Project Charter for the EOSC Federation’s Citizen Science Node: a complete blueprint of its governance, technical architecture and operating framework.
The EOSC Federation connects multiple interoperable Nodes – thematic, geographical or institutional – through the EOSC Interoperability Framework and the federating capabilities of the EOSC EU Node, as described in the EOSC Federation Handbook. Today, access to the federation relies on academic credentials (eduGAIN). This leaves out people who do science outside academia: citizen scientists, NGO researchers, civic tech communities and independent researchers. EOSC-CSN tackles this gap head-on.
The project is part of EOSC Gravity (June 2025 – December 2027), the Horizon Europe coordination project (GA 101188045) tasked with consolidating the EOSC ecosystem and steering its transition to a new governance and funding model from 2027. This includes cascade funding to grow the Federation of Nodes.
Project objectives
Six specific objectives that come together in a single Project Charter:
SO1 — Value proposition. Set out how the node links traditional research with citizen-generated data, ensuring compliance with the FAIR principles.
SO2 — MVN requirements. Strategic alignment with the EOSC Federation Handbook and meeting all the technical and legal requirements of the Minimum Viable Node.
SO3 — Governance model. Multi-level governance that reflects the diversity of the citizen science community, bringing existing platforms together within an EOSC-compatible framework.
SO4 — Technical roadmap. Integration of RIECS core services with EOSC: AAI proxy, FAIR validation, ARGO monitoring and APEL accounting.
SO5 — Training curriculum. A training matrix for unaffiliated researchers, aligned with the EOSC Academy and integrated into the EOSC Knowledge Hub.
SO6 — Showcase. A public event giving a live demonstration of citizen science projects joining the EOSC Federation through the node.
Use cases that validate the node’s functional requirements
UC1 — Automated data validator. Connects citizen science projects with scientific data repositories and certifies that the data they produce are valid and research-ready.
UC2 — Access for citizen science. Researchers and members of the public with no institutional affiliation get the same access to the EOSC Federation as anyone at a university: an account, a workspace and the tools they need to do science.
UC3 — Data traceability. Every piece of data that moves through the federation stays linked to the person and project that produced it, so its journey and reuse can always be traced and properly credited.
UC4 — On-demand computing for citizen-led events. The node provides the computing resources that hackathons and other citizen-led events need, on demand and for as long as the event lasts: virtual machines, GPU access, storage and other infrastructure.
The role of Ibercivis
Ibercivis coordinates the project and leads the work of bringing the consortium together. As part of this, it is setting up an expert group of 10 to 15 people to review and validate the node’s governance, technical and operational blueprint. Selection is open – no university or research institution affiliation is required – and aims to reach beyond the Foundation’s usual network, with a balance of disciplines, countries and genders.
Our activities
The project roadmap has three stages:
Stage 1 — Strategic setup (M1, May 2026). Kick-off meeting in Madrid, delivery of the Project Plan, definition of the technical scope and mapping of community leaders.
Stage 2 — Co-design and Project Charter (M2–M4, June–August 2026). Use case design, stress-test workshops with the community, peer review with the expert group, delivery of the Project Charter and a first draft of the showcase plan.
Stage 3 — Onboarding and showcase (M5–M6, September–November 2026). Contribution matrix for the EOSC Academy, use case onboarding and live integration report, and a final public event demonstrating the node within the EOSC Federation.
Public deliverables include the Project Charter (August 2026), the Training matrix (October 2026), the Use case onboarding report (October 2026) and the Showcase report (November 2026).
Project details
Type of project
European — EOSC Gravity sub-grant
Duration
6 May 2026 → 6 November 2026 (6 months)
Funding
€50,000 · GA 101188045
Consortium
4 organisations (ES, IT, NL) — Fundación Ibercivis (coordinator), CIEMAT, Citizen Science Italia and Leiden University (on behalf of Citizen Science Nederland).
Area
Citizen science infrastructure
