New opportunities for citizen science

The IMPETUS project, which is looking for new and sustainable citizen science projects to support, opened its second call for proposals on 10 January. IMPETUS is looking for citizen science projects to participate in two exciting opportunities: the IMPETUS Accelerator and the European Union Citizen Science Award. The call for proposals will be open from 10 January until 12 March for the European Union Citizen Science Prize, and until 14 March for the IMPETUS Accelerator.

The project is looking for initiatives focusing on:

• Sustainable Lifestyles – Related to Food, Mobility and Waste.
• Justice and Equality – Related to Climate Resilience and Health.
• Citizen Science with and for the community – Interested in how your project engages with society to solve the problems it faces every day, using bottom-up and community-led approaches.

IMPETUS seeks to highlight excellence in citizen science through the European Union Prize for Citizen Science. The initiative aims to celebrate the achievements and diversity of citizen science across Europe, ensuring that this valuable work receives the recognition it deserves.

Call for proposals awards

The European Union Prize for Citizen Science comprises three main awards: a Grand Prize of EUR 60,000 and two additional prizes for projects that excel in promoting Diversity and Collaboration as well as Digital Communities, both worth EUR 20,000 each.

Recognising the abundance of citizen science activity in Europe, IMPETUS will award honourable mentions to a further 27 projects. These projects will have the opportunity to showcase their work alongside the winners at the Ars Electronica Science and Technology Festival 2024.

More details on the IMPETUS project

IMPETUS aims to create a science and technology innovation agenda to (i) open avenues for funding a more diverse range of science and technology initiatives, (ii) strengthen the link between society and science, (iii) recognise the role of citizen science in Europe, and (iv) enhance the contribution of science and technology to the achievement of the SDGs and Green Deal targets.

The project will support and give recognition to citizen science in the European Research Area, mainly through direct funding of selected citizen science initiatives in three open calls, the creation of an accelerator for the top ranked application, the launch of the EU Citizen Science Prize, the development of specific impact pathways to provide evidence for policy making and the evaluation of the impact of the accelerated pilots.

The expected impact of IMPETUS is to strengthen the capacity of the information society to deliver robust research results, generate evidence for policy and contribute to responsible citizen-led innovation. This will enable greater recognition of the information society as a unique and robust approach to achieving these outcomes, support the transition towards a carbon neutral, sustainable and just Europe, and reinforce people’s trust in science and expertise.