This editorial gives a brief overview of the many contributions published in the Proceedings of the Austrian Citizen Science Conference 2023.
Citizen Science can contribute to the transformation and enrichment of existing research and innovation processes. Nevertheless, we see big differences in the institutional support of citizen science in research performing organizations (RPOs), like universities. Which institutional measures lead to a better and more effective involvement of citizens in research and innovation processes and how can these be supported? TIME4CS - a Horizon 2020 project - is dedicated to this question and examines both social and organizational aspects of implementing support for citizen science. The project has defined four intervention areas that, alone or in combination, can stimulate the necessary institutional changes to foster public engagement in R&I activities. For each intervention area, a set of grounding actions are defined and considered as seeds to be sown, paving the way to institutional changes within research institutions. To find out if this works in very different contexts, the project collaborates with four RPOs operating in different academic contexts, research fields and geographical locations. These institutions implement the grounding actions and share their experiences throughout the evaluation process. Lessons learned from these practical implementations after the first 18 project months were presented at the 7th Austrian Citizen Science Conference and show that starting from very different points the four RPOs identified some common key challenges and potential solutions.
This article addresses citizen science as an approach to transformative experimentation in urban planning and research. On the basis of the research project "Open Urban Sustainability Hubs" the role of knowledge infrastructures such as libraries and museums is exemplified, and how their potentials can be investigated in applied research processes and their capacities strengthened at the same time.
In the unique ecosystem of the Hohe Tauern National Park (HTNP), balancing agricultural activities with conservation efforts presents a complex challenge. This study addresses the critical issue of communication between the national park and the agricultural sector, aiming to bridge the gap between these two vital stakeholders. Two primary research questions guide this inquiry: firstly, the evaluation of participants' perspectives on the developed transdisciplinary citizen science approach; secondly, the identification of specific aspects crucial to agriculture within the HTNP. These research questions employed a transdisciplinary citizen science format that took place for the first time in Mallnitz (Austria) in 2022. Local actors and researchers met for visits to ten agricultural hosts, engaging in discussions that were recorded and subsequently subjected to content analysis. The results indicated a high positive assessment of the transdisciplinary format. Key factors identified as pivotal in the agricultural context of the HTNP include grants, contracts, and notifications, appreciation and recognition, time constraints, the entrepreneurial spirit within the region, and the return of wolves. The study concludes that the transdisciplinary citizen science format is effective and adaptable for similar settings. Additionally, the findings serve as a foundational resource for the ongoing development of the national park and its management plans, providing invaluable insights for decision-makers and stakeholders involved in the conservation-agriculture interface.
The Hans Sauer Foundation is supporting transformative citizen science projects on societal aspects of sustainability. These receive marginal support, while at the same time offering innovative collaborative or co-creative approaches to social transformation. Based on the experience with the funding program, the foundation developed 17 criteria for transformative citizen science. A first draft was discussed at the Austrian Citizen Science Conference 2023 in Linz. The revised version is presented in this article. The criteria can offer orientation for actors who want to initiate a citizen science project that aims to generate social-ecological impact, and assistance to institutions developing (funding) programs to support such projects. This article is an invitation to the citizen science community to adapt and further develop the criteria for their contexts.
