National project · Citizen science infrastructure
National citizen science action plan
A plan, commissioned by the Ministry, to consolidate citizen science in Spain
About the project
The Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness commissioned Fundación Ibercivis to draw up a national citizen science action plan, to consolidate the practice in Spain and give fresh impetus to collaboration between citizens and researchers.
Ibercivis coordinated around thirty experts in science, technology, education, communication and society. The work started from one observation: Spain had been a leader in citizen science for years, with experience from more than a hundred projects, and more and more people had the knowledge, resources, time and willingness to work with science, contributing not only data but also ideas and analysis.
Project objectives
- Provide structure and support for the many citizen science initiatives that had emerged in previous years.
- Design strategic actions to strengthen coordination, increase visibility and make it easier for more stakeholders to commit to this way of creating knowledge.
- Make it easier to integrate and make the most of resources, with shared spaces and specialist groups serving researchers and citizens.
- Provide more spaces and laboratories where citizens and scientists could work together to meet shared needs.
The role of Ibercivis
Ibercivis coordinated the drafting of the plan following the guidelines of the Ministry, through its Secretariat of State for Research, Development and Innovation, and of the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology (FECYT). Fermín Serrano, then executive director of Ibercivis, led the project.
Our activities
- Drafting of an initial report and preparation of pilot actions with the expert group.
- Meeting of the expert group on 21 November in Madrid, attended by the Director General for R&D&I Policy, Clara Eugenia García.
- Second meeting of the expert group on 20 December at Medialab-Prado Madrid, in an open co-creation format.
Project details
Type of project
National
Funding
Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness (Secretariat of State for R&D&I) and FECYT
Area
Citizen science infrastructure