In late September, we met in Berlin with the rest of the consortium to start working towards the project’s objectives.

THRIVE (Towards a Harmonised landscape that expands the Role of citizen science in biodIVersity & Ecosystem services monitoring) is a Horizon Europe project, coordinated by the European Citizen Science Association (ECSA) and the Centre for Social Innovation (ZSI), that brings together 16 European organisations to strengthen and harmonise the role of citizen science in biodiversity and ecosystem observation.

This past September, the partners met at the Museum für Naturkunde in Berlin. It was two and a half days of workshops, discussions and co-creation sessions, with natural history museums, citizen science specialists, collaborative biodiversity observation platforms, universities and non-governmental organisations. It was also a chance to get to know each other in person, set objectives and start working with a shared direction and shared values.

Project objectives

Europe has many citizen science initiatives that collect valuable biodiversity data, but each one uses its own tools, methods, formats and protocols to acquire, process and store information. This makes it difficult for that data to be combined, reused and taken into account when decisions are made. Keeping people involved in the long term is not easy either. THRIVE wants to change this picture and move towards a more coordinated and harmonised system, in which citizen science and biodiversity initiatives use standardised resources and follow common guidelines to make it easier to use data in research and public policy.

To achieve this, the project works on three fronts: participation, data and policy. It will do so in three phases: first mapping and analysing what already exists, then consolidating it together with the main stakeholders and, finally, scaling it up. Among its goals are making it easier for more people to take part in biodiversity observation in a harmonised way, including groups that currently face more obstacles to doing so, and creating a European network that connects those who work in citizen science, those who research biodiversity observation and protection, and the bodies that develop public policy. Training and resources will also be offered, and citizen observations will be linked to regulations such as the Habitats Directive and European nature restoration legislation. All of this will be tested in seven case studies in very different ecosystems. In addition, THRIVE will bring citizen science into schools, so that students can reconnect with science and with nature.

Ibercivis’s role

At Ibercivis, we are responsible for identifying, analysing and harmonising the tools and methodologies used to obtain and manage biodiversity data, for analysing the use of artificial intelligence-based tools, and for managing their practical deployment through the case studies. The aim is for citizen science data to be easier to acquire, share and reuse, and to be useful for the study of biodiversity and for public policy.

Our tasks include drawing up a roadmap towards harmonising the tools, protocols and standards currently used in citizen-led biodiversity observation, and developing an artificial intelligence tool that helps identify which citizen science resources can meet specific biodiversity policy needs. These activities will include co-design processes with users and professionals to ensure alignment with their real needs, as well as training on biodiversity data management in line with FAIR principles, aimed at projects, data managers and developers.

La entrada Ibercivis attends the THRIVE kick-off: citizen science to care for and better understand biodiversity se publicó primero en Fundación Ibercivis.

Interested citizens are already measuring Zaragoza’s light with lux meters during night walks and uploading the data to Open-red. 17,000 measurements have been recorded in Spain and in several cities in Finland, Poland and Austria.

We take science to the streets of Zaragoza

The PLAN-B project works to understand and mitigate the impacts of artificial light at night (ALAN) on terrestrial biodiversity. Its Spanish pilot, in Zaragoza, recently reached an important milestone. At Ibercivis, we coordinated a meeting to present the project, strengthen local capacities and launch practical citizen science activities in collaboration with the Agrupación Astronómica Aragonesa (AAA), one of the most active amateur astronomy and dark-sky advocacy organisations in the region.

Laying the foundations of the Zaragoza Community of Practice

One of the pillars of PLAN-B is the creation of Communities of Practice (CoPs) in its four European pilot areas: Gdansk, Leipzig, Belo Horizonte and Zaragoza. These communities bring together a “quadruple helix” of diverse stakeholders (local public authorities, researchers, naturalists, representatives of the local business sector and citizens) who share an interest in protecting darker, quieter ecosystems.

The meeting was led by our director, Francisco Sanz, developer of the Open-red data visualisation platform and the citizen science app Lost at Night, and by Alejandro Sánchez de Miguel, a PLAN-B researcher.

During the session with the Agrupación Astronómica Aragonesa, attendees learned about PLAN-B’s objectives, its open-access database and the upcoming public policy instruments to reduce light and noise pollution. The session formally established the Zaragoza Community of Practice: a local network of people who help spread the word and collaborate actively, committed to monitoring environmental quality in urban and peri-urban areas.

Lux meters, night walks and the Open-red platform

Citizen science makes it possible to turn local interest in light pollution into useful data. To this end, in this first campaign with the Agrupación Astronómica Aragonesa we provided participants with calibrated lux meters and light meters.

With these devices, participants take guided night observation walks around Zaragoza. During the walks they measure ambient light levels in different urban areas, parks and natural corridors. The data are uploaded to Open-red, our open data platform, and form an accessible repository built by the community itself.

These street-level data complement PLAN-B’s high-resolution satellite imagery and aerial mapping. They help identify the “dark corridors” worth protecting and the areas where excess light affects nocturnal wildlife and human wellbeing.

Since measurement activities began, 17,000 measurements have been recorded, taken by participants in various parts of Spain and in European cities in Finland, Poland and Austria.

How to take part in the Zaragoza pilot

The Zaragoza Community of Practice is open to anyone who wants to contribute to a darker, more sustainable environment, whether from astronomy, studies, life in the neighbourhood or environmental advocacy. Those who would like to join the upcoming night walks can write to our local team at dlisbona[at]ibercivis.es.

Those who prefer to take part from home can do so with the Lost at Night app, which allows users to georeference photographs taken by astronauts from the International Space Station.

Progress, maps and results from participants in Zaragoza and beyond will be published on the PLAN-B blog and social channels.

La entrada Ibercivis and the Agrupación Astronómica Aragonesa measure light pollution in Zaragoza as part of PLAN-B se publicó primero en Fundación Ibercivis.

Until 16 October, anyone can consult the Strategy and share their views through a form.

The National Strategy for Scientific and Innovation Culture (ENCCI) 2027-2030 aims to advance the right of everyone to participate in science, promote a public communication of science that strengthens mutual trust between science and society, and contribute to a better-informed democracy.

Before its final approval, the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities has opened a public information period. This is a mechanism for public participation that gathers the views of the population on the strategic actions that will shape the relationship between science, innovation and society between 2027 and 2030. The Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology (FECYT) provides technical coordination and supports the definition, development and monitoring of the measures.

Until 16 October 2026, anyone interested can consult the document and send suggestions, comments and proposals through the form on the ENCCI website. The contributions will help enrich and improve the final text, strengthening relevant aspects and incorporating different perspectives and social needs.

At the Ibercivis Foundation, we support public participation in research and encourage individuals, organisations and communities linked to citizen science and scientific culture to take part in its development.

La entrada Ibercivis invites the public to submit contributions to the National Strategy for Scientific and Innovation Culture, which aims to advance the right to participate in science se publicó primero en Fundación Ibercivis.

The contest encourages work on soil as an essential resource for ecosystems, food security and the climate, through drawings, experiments, videos, podcasts and other creative formats.

A contest to put soil at the centre

ECHO Soil Challenge – Soil Stories combines creativity, scientific experimentation and science communication so that classrooms and citizens can explore soil from their own perspective. Entries must be based on the ECHO sampling kit or on SoiLab for Teens, the project’s educational tool for hands-on activities in schools, although they can be freely reinterpreted.

Categories and participation

There are four categories: children aged 6 to 10, children aged 11 to 13, young people aged 14 to 19, and ECHO participants acting as Soil Ambassadors. Three winning projects will be selected in each one.

In the first three categories, the entry is submitted by the teacher on behalf of their class or group. Entries may be in Spanish or in English; audiovisual entries must include English subtitles. To protect the privacy of minors, entries must not include images, recordings or full names that could identify them. The call is open to applicants based in Spain and eight other countries.

Dates and recognitions

The jury’s decision will be announced on 16 December 2026, and a final webinar with the winning projects will take place on 15 January 2027. Winners will receive an official certificate, present their work at the webinar and have the chance to chat with an ECHO expert. Their project will also be published on the ECHO website and social media channels.

A jury from the ECHO consortium, with expertise in education, science communication and soil science, will assess the creativity, scientific accuracy and educational impact of each entry.

How to participate

The full rules, accepted formats and the entry form are available on the contest page on the ECHO website. For inspiration, see SoiLab for Teens and the ECHO educational resources.

La entrada ECHO Soil Challenge – Soil Stories: a European contest to tell the story of soil se publicó primero en Fundación Ibercivis.

The heartbeat of the map: thousands of samples to protect our water

The digital heart of Life-Nitrazens is a living open-data map, fed during this sample-collection phase. Our commitment is ambitious: to mobilise at least 2,500 citizens to collect and analyse 3,000 water samples (surface water, groundwater and tap water). This large participatory monitoring network covers a representative area of 34,435 km², linking the Duero and Ebro river basins in Spain (30,412 km²) with the Mondego basin in Portugal (4,013 km²).

Thanks to this collective effort, the project is filling critical gaps in environmental information on small water bodies and in rural areas that often fall outside official monitoring networks, democratising information and ensuring that the data are accessible to everyone. All this effort has resulted in almost 600 samples collected across dozens of measurement points in the Ebro and Duero basins during this first sampling phase, which has also laid the foundations of the citizen infrastructure of nodes, ambassadors and participants, who will keep collecting samples in the following stages of the campaign.

In addition, the data provided by citizens during these nitrate monitoring campaigns will be available on the Life-Nitrazens Data Exchange Platform being prepared by the project and in the federated data space that is also under construction, so that they can be consulted and also used in scientific research on nitrate pollution in our water bodies.

Geonity: Ibercivis technology that brings rigour to citizen science

How can we ensure that a sample taken by a neighbour in their village is scientifically valid? This is where Geonity comes in, the citizen science platform developed by Ibercivis, a partner in the project. This mobile app, already used in other projects of the foundation, has been specifically adapted for Life-Nitrazens to guide volunteers step by step in a simple and intuitive way.

On reaching a water point, participants use Geonity to:

• Geolocate the sample with precise GPS coordinates. To protect privacy on the public map, the system blurs private points (such as wells or household taps), showing only an approximate area.
• Record key metadata such as the type of water (tap, well, canal or river), the date, the exact time of collection and the weather conditions at that moment.
• Upload photographs of the surroundings that provide visual context to facilitate scientific analysis and validation of the sample.

Even if participants are in a natural area with no mobile coverage, the app stores all the data locally and sends it automatically to the server as soon as the internet connection is restored. This digital record is essential: the quality control protocol requires every bottle delivered to be linked to its metadata on the platform, so that laboratories can process it and the traceability of the sample is guaranteed.

How our campaigns are designed: a cyclical and rigorous roadmap

To ensure that the data reflect the temporal and seasonal changes in water, the project is structured around three major sampling campaigns of five months each:

• Campaign 1: April to August 2026, just concluded, with excellent participation figures.
• Campaign 2: October 2026 to February 2027.
• Campaign 3: April to August 2027.

Each of these campaigns follows a rigorous operating cycle divided into five phases that repeat in an orderly way:

1. Phase I – Setting up the Network: The physical collection Nodes are activated and the local Ambassadors, who energise the volunteer community, are trained.
2. Phase II – Preparing the mini-campaigns: Short, time-limited windows of a few days to optimise logistics, define the sampling points and hand out the science kits (bottles, labels and thermal bags) to volunteers.
3. Phase III – Field sampling: The big day of fieldwork. Volunteers rinse the bottle three times beforehand with water from the sampling point itself to remove impurities, fill the container avoiding air bubbles and place it in the insulated bag, protected from the heat. Time is critical: the sample must be delivered to its reference Node within a maximum of 3 hours to prevent the nitrates from changing chemically.
4. Phase IV – Logistics and laboratory analysis: Samples are refrigerated immediately at the Nodes and transported weekly under strict cold-chain conditions to the reference laboratories: the University of Burgos (UBU) for the Duero basin, CITA-Aragón for the Ebro basin, and the University of Coimbra together with Aguas do Centro Litoral for the Mondego basin. There, the exact nitrate concentration (in mg/L) is analysed with technical precision.
5. Phase V – Data validation and transparency: Before publication, the analytical results are checked and validated by cross-referencing the laboratory data with the metadata recorded by the participant in the app and with the Nodes’ control sheets. Once validated and their quality guaranteed, they are integrated into the Life-Nitrazens Data Exchange Platform (developed by Osoigo) for open viewing and public download under the Open Science model.

Our sincere thanks to our community

None of this would be possible without the extraordinary social fabric that sustains the project. At Ibercivis, as a partner in Life-Nitrazens, we want to thank each of the Ambassadors for being the social driving force in their rural communities. We thank the local Nodes (town councils, civic centres and associations) for generously lending their spaces and safeguarding the samples. And, of course, we thank every participant who has decided to spend their time collecting water so that their effort becomes scientific knowledge.

Thanks to all of you, we are building a collective tool that protects public health, safeguards our ecosystems and guides administrations towards fairer and more effective water policies.

Join the change: take part in the upcoming campaigns

Do you want to know what water runs through your nearest tap, well or river? Do you want your commitment to become useful data that protects your territory? The LIFE-NITRAZENS Local Support Network is still very much alive and always open to new hands.

It doesn’t matter if you didn’t take part in the earlier phases; every new mini-campaign is a chance to start from scratch. Sign up through our official form and we will assign you to your nearest Node, welcoming you to our active WhatsApp community so that you receive your science kit and all the training you need.

Sign up here to take part as a volunteer or ambassador.

La entrada Ibercivis on the nitrate map: how collective action is transforming the future of water in Life-Nitrazens se publicó primero en Fundación Ibercivis.

The shared goal is for citizen science to have a stable place in the European research area, and for the people who take part, whether or not they are institutionally affiliated, to be able to access its resources and services.

RIECS-Concept: a research infrastructure for citizen science

RIECS-Concept, coordinated by Fermín Serrano, is conceptualising a future research infrastructure for excellent citizen science, designed to enter the roadmap of the European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI) and intended to provide resources and services across different domains.

Citizen science brings its own specificities compared with other research infrastructures: participants act as users of the infrastructure, but also as providers of resources and data, and as actors in its governance. This particularity opens up relevant possibilities, such as citizen science being recognised as a horizontal capacity within the European Research Area (ERA), or facilitating evidence-based decision-making through citizen-generated data that is sovereign, high-quality and trusted. To this end, the project addresses the structural barriers that currently hold back excellence, such as fragmentation, interoperability and sustainability.

After 18 months of work, the consortium has completed a first conceptual draft of what RIECS could look like. The published catalogue is a first technical feasibility study which, together with the strategic plan, will form the core of a future application to the ESFRI roadmap.

Over these 18 months, more than 700 scientific papers have been reviewed and more than 4,400 technologies assessed. 50 engagement activities have been carried out across 10 countries, with online questionnaires reaching around 500 people, and 823 user stories have been collected. From this, 37 needs and 31 technical requirements have been identified, all with human validation and expert oversight through consortium review, interviews, and domain-expert validation.

The project already has orientations on what RIECS should build and operate itself, what it should provide as services, and what it should federate or connect with existing capacities. These orientations will be further refined over the coming months. RIECS-Concept will end in December 2027.

EOSC Citizen Science Node: a citizen science node in the EOSC Federation

The European Open Science Cloud (EOSC) champions the management and use of research data to ensure the scientific community has access to data-driven science, with continuous access to and reliable reuse of that data. It is organised as a federation connecting nodes from different countries, thematic domains and institutions. EOSC Citizen Science Node (EOSC-CSN), coordinated by Francisco Sanz, is Ibercivis’s proposal to create a citizen science node. The project is also a practical implementation pathway for RIECS and, at the same time, a design foundation and enabler for it.

Its objective is to make the EOSC Federation genuinely accessible and useful to the European citizen science community, both for researchers and for people taking part in citizen science without institutional affiliation. It may also bring new communities, citizen-generated datasets and citizen science capabilities into the Federation, while enabling other EOSC nodes to use citizen science as a research methodology in their own work.

In just three months, the first EOSC-CSN Project Charter has been drawn up, which has just been accepted by EOSC GRAVITY. It sets out two main objectives: enabling trusted access to EOSC services for non-affiliated citizen scientists, through a Community Authentication and Authorisation Infrastructure (Community AAI), and establishing an interoperable environment that supports the full citizen science project lifecycle, from project creation and data acquisition, through validation and analysis, to publication and contributor attribution. EOSC GRAVITY reviewers have also shared recommendations that will help refine the concept and plan the next implementation steps. The EOSC GRAVITY Cascading Grant for the EOSC-CSN Preparatory Project will end in November 2026.

La entrada Ibercivis advances the European infrastructure for citizen science with RIECS-Concept and EOSC-CSN se publicó primero en Fundación Ibercivis.

At Ibercivis, we presented initiatives such as the Lost at Night project on light pollution and handed out 140 kits from the AmIAire2 project, which monitors air quality.

On 25 and 26 September, we took part in the European Researchers’ Night 2026 with a stand of our own at the Foundation. The event drew around 33,000 people who enjoyed the outreach programme in Plaza del Pilar in Zaragoza. At the same time, more than 300 researchers offered activities at their research centres.

At Fundación Ibercivis, we set up a space focused on citizen participation in scientific projects. Throughout the day, we welcomed a large number of people interested in learning about and trying out the Lost at Night app, which focuses on the analysis and mapping of light pollution using satellite imagery. Lost at Night originated in the European project Plan-B and is available to anyone who wants to contribute to scientific research from home.

The activity at our stand also helped to raise awareness of other ongoing projects. Among them, AmIAire2 stands out: an initiative led by the University of Deusto, in which we collaborate from Ibercivis, to map air pollution in Spain. Thanks to the interest shown by attendees in measuring the air in their surroundings, we handed out 140 air quality measurement kits to individuals and to teachers at educational centres.

We also gave information on the development and future participation in projects such as LIFE-Nitrazens, coordinated by the University of Burgos, in which Ibercivis is a partner and is responsible for communication, to measure the concentration of nitrates in water, and Plan-B, with campaigns to measure light pollution. We also presented the platforms of the Citizen Science Observatory in Spain and Geonity as tools for joining and promoting participatory projects.

At Ibercivis, we would like to thank the organisers of the European Researchers’ Night for the invitation to take part. Events like this allow us to make the Foundation and citizen science known across different fields and audiences.

La entrada Ibercivis at the European Researchers’ Night 2026: citizen science in Plaza del Pilar se publicó primero en Fundación Ibercivis.

During this international meeting, the seven consortium partners (Tyndall National Institute, ZEISS Group, CREAL, Aluvia Photonics, Dispelix, Institute of High Pressure Physics PAS and Fundación Ibercivis) launched the first lines of work for this initiative, funded with nearly 6 million euros by the #HorizonEurope programme to revolutionise Augmented Reality (AR) glasses.

As the partners responsible for the Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH), at Ibercivis we presented our strategy for integrating #citizenscience and the human perspective from the initial stages of technological development, defining the methodology for assessing the usability, ergonomic comfort and visual fatigue of AR glasses under real-world conditions of use (at home and in public spaces); establishing recruitment protocols to ensure the participation of a diverse range of citizens and developing the ideal ethical and data protection framework, whilst providing the infrastructure of our secure servers for the management and encryption of the data collected in strict compliance with the GDPR.

It has been a pleasure to begin working closely with the rest of the consortium to ensure that the European photonics of the future meets people’s real needs.

La entrada Ibercivis in Cork (Ireland) for the kick-off meeting of the SLDAR EU Project consortium se publicó primero en Fundación Ibercivis.

The systematic review concludes that citizen participation requires clear objectives, trust, methods adapted to the context and contributions that genuinely influence decisions.

Authors: Judith Bielsa and Lucía Moreno.

Climate change is already transforming the way we live and relate to our territory. From the increase in extreme events such as heatwaves, floods and droughts, to the changes affecting ecosystems, agriculture and people’s health, adaptation has become one of the great social, political and environmental challenges of our time.

However, developing effective adaptation strategies does not depend solely on having scientific knowledge or new technologies. Decisions about how to prepare our territories for the impacts of climate change affect multiple sectors of society, from public administrations and local communities to social organisations, businesses, researchers and citizens. For this reason, the active participation of these stakeholder groups is essential to design solutions that truly respond to local needs and contexts.

Science and practical experience have shown that involving citizens can improve the quality of decisions, foster collective learning and increase the acceptance and implementation of adaptation measures. However, achieving meaningful participation is not always easy. Institutional, organisational, economic and social barriers can limit collaboration between the different actors.

A European analysis of how to improve participation in climate adaptation

A new scientific article, produced by an international team, analyses precisely these challenges. Entitled Advancing stakeholder engagement in climate adaptation: a systematic review of structural barriers and operational enablers, it has been published in the journal Sustainability Science and has Judith Bielsa and Lucía Moreno, researchers at Fundación Ibercivis, as co-authors. The article is part of the European project Adaptation AGORA and reviews the existing scientific literature to identify the main barriers that hinder stakeholder participation and the conditions that can foster more effective participatory processes.

The research starts from a reality: although the importance of participation in climate adaptation is increasingly recognised, there is still a gap between the design of adaptation policies and strategies and their actual implementation. Closing this gap requires a better understanding of what makes some participatory processes work while others run into difficulties.

To this end, the research team carried out a systematic review of previous studies on participation in climate adaptation. The analysis identified different types of obstacles, related both to broader structures, such as institutional frameworks, availability of resources or coordination between organisations, and to operational aspects of the design of the participatory processes themselves.

From consultation to real collaboration

One of the main messages of the article is that participation should not be understood solely as an informational process or a one-off consultation. To generate useful results, participatory processes need to create spaces where the different actors can exchange knowledge, contribute their experiences and build solutions together.

This means recognising that there are different forms of knowledge relevant to tackling climate change. Alongside scientific knowledge, the experiences of local communities, territorial knowledge and the practices developed by organisations and groups can provide essential information to better understand problems and design appropriate responses.

The study also highlights the importance of practical aspects that determine the success of these processes: setting clear objectives, building trust among participants, adapting participation methods to the specific context and ensuring that the contributions made have a real influence on final decisions.

Citizen science and participation to tackle complex challenges

These lessons connect directly with the work Ibercivis carries out through citizen science. Participatory projects make it possible not only to generate new data and knowledge, but also to build communities around scientific and social challenges, enabling people to move from being recipients of information to active participants in research and innovation processes.

In areas such as climate adaptation, biodiversity, environmental quality and the health of the planet, collaboration between science, institutions and citizens makes it possible to address complex problems from multiple perspectives and to generate solutions that are more closely connected to the reality of each territory.

This article offers a key insight for continuing to improve these processes: effective participation requires planning, resources and appropriate methodologies. It is not enough to invite different actors to take part; it is necessary to create the conditions for that participation to be meaningful and to have a real capacity to contribute to transformation.

Moving towards societies that are better prepared for climate change therefore means combining scientific knowledge, social innovation and collaboration among all the sectors involved. Adaptation is not only a technological or environmental challenge: it is also a collective one.

La entrada Stakeholder engagement, a key piece for advancing climate change adaptation se publicó primero en Fundación Ibercivis.

At Fundación Ibercivis, we are driving collaboration with art, design and citizens to explore what these materials can offer beyond their use in construction.

What is ATRIUM

ATRIUM (Alternatives for an effective Transition to sustainable, Reusable and recyclable construction products by the Innovative production of User and eco-friendly bio-based Materials) is an Innovation Action funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe programme and co-funded by UK Research and Innovation. Fundación Ibercivis is part of the consortium, together with fourteen other organisations from seven countries.

Its goal is to develop bio-based construction materials that reduce environmental impact and can be reused and recycled. To do this, it combines natural fibres, next-generation bioplastics and mycelium biotechnologies into biocomposites that contribute to the circular economy, developing five products for the sector from them: outdoor flooring, indoor flooring, acoustic panels, green walls with planters, and building blocks. The work follows a complete process: materials are developed, manufacturing technologies are adapted, intermediate and final products are obtained, and they are tested at demo sites. In parallel, the project assesses sustainability, life cycle and product cost, works on digitalisation and communication, and explores sustainable business models.

Zaragoza is home to one of the demonstration sites where the possibilities and limits of the materials are explored by moving them into new contexts, particularly art and design. The idea is to generate innovation opportunities through interaction between disciplines and citizen science methodologies.

The project’s materials

A bio-based material is one made, wholly or partly, from raw materials of natural origin rather than petroleum derivatives. A classic example is wood, whose main component is cellulose mixed with lignin. ATRIUM does something similar with other naturally sourced ingredients, working with five materials:

Lightweight bio-based polyethylene profiles

Although polyethylene is a very common plastic, the one used in this project comes from biologically sourced raw materials. It is mixed with MDF powder (wood fibreboard) recovered from manufacturing waste, and the result is a long profile for outdoor decking-type flooring. It is produced using two combined techniques:

• Foaming: a gas-releasing agent is added that expands under heat, forming small bubbles so the interior becomes light and spongy.
• Co-extrusion: two extruders work simultaneously — one shapes the spongy core, the other coats it with a solid skin that adds strength and protects it from sunlight.

Mycelium-based panels

Mycelium is the vegetative part of fungi, a network of fine filaments that acts as a natural glue between fibres. Panel production starts with a mix of plant-based raw materials and organic waste, which is first sterilised so that only the chosen fungus grows. It is then inoculated with the fungus, which grows under controlled humidity and temperature. Once the mixture is covered in mycelium, it is placed in a mould where the fungus continues growing and binding the fibres together. The panel is dried with heat, which stops growth and leaves a stable material, and finished with a coating that improves fire resistance while preserving its sound-absorbing capacity. This material is used to make acoustic panels and indoor flooring tiles.

Figure 2: Front view of the panel

Hemp-reinforced cellulose acetate

Cellulose is obtained from forestry, cotton or fibre plants. After industrial processing it becomes cellulose acetate, a plastic that softens with heat and can be moulded repeatedly, similar to PLA, the bioplastic used in household 3D printing. In ATRIUM it is reinforced with hemp fibres in varying proportions and supplied as granules, which can be injection-moulded or 3D printed. Printing uses a robotic arm with an extruder that melts the material and deposits it layer by layer to build the piece.

Figura 3: LSAM setup.

Figure 4: Final printed containers for the Green Wall.

PHA, a microbial bioplastic

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) are bioplastics produced by microorganisms. They feed on waste, ferment it, and store the polymer internally, which is then separated and purified. To give PHA the necessary properties, it is mixed with natural fibres, with or without hemp, in an extruder, then cooled and cut into granules. These feed an injection-moulding machine, which melts the material and forces it under pressure into a mould, where it cools and takes its final shape.

Figure 5: Planters made from PHA with hemp (darker colour) and without hemp (lighter colour).

The final products from hemp cellulose acetate and PHA planters will be used to build “Green Walls” for decorative and functional purposes, dividing spaces with different plants.

Figure 6: Final form of the Green Wall

Hemp concrete

Here hemp contributes its woody part rather than its fibres. It is crushed into small fragments and mixed with a mineral binder, lime, and water. The resulting paste is 3D printed: a screw pushes it through a nozzle and deposits it in layers. It is a more sustainable substitute for cement, since it incorporates a natural polymer. The technical challenge lies in the fact that hemp fragments can clog the nozzle, so both the mixture and the machine are adjusted accordingly. This material is used to make blocks and construction elements.

Figure 7 — First printing attempts and representation of the final product.

The materials and Ibercivis’s role

A construction material is designed to fulfil a function, but several of ATRIUM’s materials have properties that also invite creative use. Hemp cellulose acetate can be moulded or 3D printed, hemp concrete could be suitable for sculpture, mycelium panels allow for different textures and geometries, and PHA can be injection-moulded into pieces of varying thickness.

With this in mind, in September 2026 Ibercivis organised, in collaboration with AITIIP and Tecnopackaging, the training session “Exploring the artistic possibilities of ATRIUM materials.” The event brought together artists and teaching staff from the Escuela Superior de Diseño de Aragón (ESDA) and the Escuela de Arte de Zaragoza, who visited the laboratories, learned about the materials’ manufacturing and transformation processes, and had their questions answered about their technical possibilities. The session also featured Néstor Lizalde, a Zaragoza-based artist behind The Plant Machine, an exhibition project that will use ATRIUM materials.

For the artistic work, the project has brought together these materials in different formats derived from intermediate and final products. Artists and students will have the chance to explore the possibilities of these materials, broadening their vision and use beyond the construction sector.

Fundación Ibercivis promotes collaboration between researchers, artists, designers, educators and citizens through its role in ATRIUM, with the aim of observing and interpreting bio-based materials in new ways and contributing, from different perspectives, to the transition towards more sustainable and circular production models.

La entrada Ibercivis and ATRIUM bring bio-based materials into artistic work at a demo site in Zaragoza se publicó primero en Fundación Ibercivis.