Spain leads Europe in designing the first citizen science node within the EU’s open research data infrastructure
Ibercivis and CIEMAT coordinate EOSC-CSN, which will establish the governance framework and technical architecture for integrating citizen science communities into the European Open Science Cloud. Funded by Horizon Europe, the project launches an open call for expressions of interest from European experts.
Fundación Ibercivis and the Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas, Medioambientales y Tecnológicas (CIEMAT) today launch EOSC-CSN (EOSC Citizen Science Node), a Horizon Europe initiative that will design the first thematic citizen science node within the EOSC Federation — the digital research infrastructure connecting scientific institutions across more than 40 European countries.
The project, funded with €50,000 over six months under the EOSC Gravity Preparatory Grants scheme, is completed by Citizen Science Italia and the University of Leiden (representing Citizen Science Nederland).
A strategic pathway for the European citizen science community
The EOSC Federation currently depends on academic credentials (EduGAIN) for resource access, inadvertently excluding thousands of citizen researchers, NGOs, and participatory science communities that generate high-value scientific data across Europe. EOSC-CSN addresses this structural barrier by designing a multi-level governance model, AARC-compliant identity proxies, and FAIR validation tooling specifically adapted to community-led research.
The project’s primary deliverable is the Node’s Project Charter — the foundational document establishing the technical and operational architecture for integrating citizen science into the EOSC Federation. This charter will serve as the roadmap toward a permanent European Research Infrastructure (ESFRI/ERIC), backed by letters of intent from the science ministries of Spain, Italy, and the Netherlands.
The project follows a ‘Design-by-Validation’ approach: a panel of 15 Community Leaders will functionally test the proposed solutions, while an Expert Group of 10–15 specialists will provide rigorous peer review of governance, technical and legal compliance with EOSC standards.
“EOSC-CSN opens a strategic pathway for the European citizen science community. For the first time, the continent’s public research infrastructure is being explicitly designed to include unaffiliated researchers alongside institutional scientists. What we build in these six months will define how citizens participate in European science for the next decade,” said the Ibercivis coordination team.
Open call: 10–15 European experts
In parallel with the launch, the project opens a public call to constitute an Expert Group of 10–15 European specialists who will peer-review and validate the Project Charter. Profiles sought include expertise in citizen science platforms and networks, EOSC and FAIR data management, participatory research, research infrastructure governance, legal and ethical aspects, interoperability and metadata, and sustainability models.
Participation involves 2–3 online meetings of approximately 90 minutes between June and August 2026, plus document review (approximately 1–2 working days). Selected experts will receive a fee of €300 for their contribution. University or institutional affiliation is not required. The call is open until 16 June 2026.
Expressions of interest should be sent to info@ibercivis.es with the subject line ‘EoI: EOSC-CSN Expert Group’, including: name, affiliation and country; half a page on relevant experience; area(s) of contribution; and one concrete idea the EOSC-CSN should address. Full details at eosc.riecs.eu.
About EOSC-CSN
EOSC-CSN (Sub-Grant Agreement EOSCGravity-PREP-2026-027-EOSC-CSN) is funded under EOSC Gravity (GA 101188045) by the European Union, May–November 2026. Views expressed are those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the EU or the European Commission. Further information: eosc.riecs.eu — eosc.eu/horizon-europe-projects/eosc-csn