Vision and mission
To realize our vision, ECSA aims to:
- become the central hub for new and existing citizen science initiatives and networks, in Europe and beyond
- contribute to building a strong citizen science community
- provide high-quality tools and training materials to increase the number of well-trained citizen science practitioners
- set standards for good practice in citizen science
- strengthen the links between citizen science practice and policy
- support the dissemination and use of quality-assured data, in science and by decision-makers
- enhance the validation of citizen-generated datasets and support technological advancements
- advocate for citizen science as an approach for tracking progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals
- provide a legal framework that gives our members the support they need to carry out citizen science projects without legal objection.
ECSA sees citizen science as an open, inclusive approach. We support the exploration of how citizen science should be understood and practised, and help to shape different aspects of the citizen science movement, in Europe and around the world. Ultimately, this will lead to a better understanding of citizen science, and support the use of its outcomes in decision-making.
ECSA’s mission is to connect citizens and science; to promote sustainable development through citizen science; and to ensure that citizen science contributes to policy processes.
Team
Executive board
The executive board is responsible for the formal representation of ECSA and its business conduct. It is elected at each ECSA General Assembly for a period of two years and instructs the Secretariat (ECSA headquarters). The current executive board was elected at the 2018 ECSA General Assembly in Geneva.
Executive chair: Prof. Dr. Johannes Vogel
Director general of the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin
Vice chair: Muki Haklay
Co-director of ExCitieS at UCL
Vice chair: Luigi Ceccaroni
Senior innovation lead at Earthwatch Institute Europe
Board of directors
ECSA’s board of directors advises the executive board and sets the scientific guidelines for ECSA’s work. Each ECSA General Assembly appoints up to five ECSA members to the board of directors for a period of two years. The board of directors meets at least once a year and makes decisions by a simple majority. The current board of directors was elected at the 2018 ECSA General Assembly in Geneva.
ECSA treasurer: Svetlana Klessova
Inno TSD, Director
Nazca Institute for Marine Research & Independent Researcher
ECSA Headquarters
ECSA headquarters is currently hosted by the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin, with satellite offices in Brussels and Leiden. It supports the work of the executive board and working groups, and manages ECSA’s external and internal communications, as well as organizing ECSA’s events. It advises ECSA members on how to connect their activities with ECSA’s goals. Staff at ECSA headquarters also work on citizen science projects.
ECSA managing director
ECSA project officer
ECSA project officer
ECSA project officer
ECSA student assistant
Former team members
- Andre Mascarenhas, project officer
- Claudia Göbel, project officer
- Fransiska Sattler, student assistant
- Gaia Agnello, project officer
- Gina Maskell, student assistant
- Giulia Melilli, student assistant
- Helen Feord, intern
- Soledad Luna, administrator
- Veronika French, administrator
Advisory board
The advisory board guides ECSA on strategic and policy matters, and reviews annual reports and ECSA accounts. The members meet regularly and report to the general assembly. The advisory board consists of up to 12 people, who are not ECSA members. Advisory board members are elected for two years at ECSA general assemblies, and any ECSA member can nominate someone. Advisory board members can be academics, political actors or people interested in citizen science. Our current advisory board members represent research councils, regulatory organizations and government agencies, as well as members of the public.
- Alan Irwin, Copenhagen Business School
- Eileen Scanlon, The Open University
- Ferdinando Boero, University of Salento
- Heiner Benking, independent journalist, consultant, curator, scholar and facilitator
- Ines Mehu-Blantar, Institut für Molekulare Biotechnologie GmbH
- Jan Riise, Mistra Urban Futures
- Michael Sogaard Jorgensen, Center for Design, Innovation and Sustainable Transition, Aalborg University
- Roger Owen, Scottish Environment Protection Agency
- Sven Schade, Joint Research Center of the European Commission
Partners
The following organizations have supported ECSA by hosting our conferences and general assemblies.
If you would like to work with ECSA, please get in touch with ECSA headquarters and let us know what you would like to do – we’re happy to hear about what you have in mind and open to new ideas!
Memorandum of Understanding between the Citizen Science Association (CSA), and the Australian Citizen Science Association (ACSA), and ECSA to promote the value and impact of citizen science and stipulating cooperation in three specific areas:
- The international journal Citizen Science: Theory and Practice
- International Citizen Science conferences
- Web-based services and resources
Memorandum of Understanding with the RRI Tools project
to promote public engagement in science and to strengthen Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) in Europe both on a conceptual and on an implementation level. This includes providing visibility to events as well as to resources, collaborate for joint events, and RRI liaison person at ECSA service as facilitator and point of contact, a case study on citizen science & RRI as well as an ECSA Policy Paper.
Memorandum of Understanding with the European Universities Public Relations and Information Officers Association (EUPRIO)
to promote science communication and public engagement in science and to strengthen Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) in Europe both on a conceptual and on an implementation level with special emphasis on Citizen Science. This includes, providing visibility to events of the partners, organizing joint events, free participation in central events of the partners.
Memorandum of Understanding with the EUBON project
to engage and work with the members of the EU BON Consortium towards the project goals and to participate in and contribute to the network.