Loyal followers of our social media channels already know: on 12 September 2024 Scivil will once again be organising a Citizen Science Inspiration and Networking Day at Lamot in Mechelen! Would you like to participate in a varied programme featuring lectures and practical examples on all aspects of citizen science? Discover the full programme on our website and register today!

During the Citizen Science Inspiration and Networking Day, a poster session will take place. Would you like to put your own citizen science project in the spotlight? Present it on a poster during this poster session! Submit your poster idea using this form.

Mediawijs recently presented its Mediawijs Awards. Each year, Mediawijs honours organisations in Flanders and Brussels that engage with media and ICT in a critical and creative way. Six awards, across six categories, were handed out.

Amai! won the Mediawijs Award for Innovation, and we are, of course, proud of this achievement. Amai! received this award in recognition of our unique approach to engaging as many people as possible with all things AI, something we have certainly strived for over the past four years, together with the Knowledge Centre Data & Society. Congratulations to the other winners as well!

On 23 May, Scivil organised its first online co-design workshop as the initial step in our Citizens4Water project. In this project, we are developing a global inventory of citizen science initiatives for hydrology and water management. During this workshop, we gathered input on the objectives and functionalities of the online repository, with participants from all corners of the world. You can read the report of this workshop on our website. Those who wish to stay informed about the next steps of the project can also subscribe to the Citizens4Water newsletter.

Scivil has compiled an Annual Report for 2023, reflecting on our achievements over the past year and looking forward to 2024, a special year as Scivil celebrates its 5th anniversary. The English translation of the Report is now available to read on our website.

In 2019 we published our Citizen Science Communication Guide 'Communication in Citizen Science: A practical guide to communication and engagement in citizen science'. The publication certainly hasn't lost its relevance; it continues to be a valuable resource in the field. The guide was highlighted in the PATTERN project, which published a booklet on learning opportunities within citizen science. Additionally, Kaunas University of Technology developed a course on citizen science for libraries, including a chapter on creating a communication plan based on the Scivil communication guide.

From November 12 to 15, OpenLab.brussels is organising the international conference 'Creating Knowledge Through Participatory Research'. This conference aims to bring together contributions from researchers and practitioners interested in participatory research projects. The call for contributions is now open! Deadline is July 7th.

On 30 May, the AfricaMuseum and the Royal Meteorological Institute organised an inspiration and networking day, 'Community engagement in citizen science'. The question of the day was: what is the role of local communities in scientific research? Scivil delivered a Masterclass Introduction to Citizen Science.

In early May, a new Flemish citizen science project was launched: FlatwormWatch. The project aims to identify which species of exotic land flatworms occur in Belgium. Those who wish to stay informed can subscribe to the FlatwormWatch newsletter (in Dutch).

The new Craywatch project is set to launch in June and is seeking volunteers! Craywatch aims to determine which exotic crayfish species are present in Flanders and where they are found. These animals have a significant negative impact on aquatic life. You can assist by checking traps from the Research Institute for Nature and Forest (INBO) and reporting observations. All information and the registration form can be found on the Craywatch website (in Dutch).

EU Sparks for Climate: Citizens Hackathon Championship is seeking both citizens and scientists to participate in a virtual competition addressing local climate challenges. From 27 to 29 June, the 'Rotterdam Hackathon' will take place, focusing on participants from Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg.

The AURORA project aims to establish a network of AURORA Citizen Science Ambassadors to support its activities. The initiative focuses on addressing climate change and energy transition within universities, municipalities, and communities. Prospective ambassadors can apply on the AURORA website.

In each newsletter we want to inspire you through an interview with a researcher, practitioner or citizen involved in citizen science. This way, we want to share good practices, innovative approaches and success stories of citizen science projects. This time, we interviewed Kris Vanherle, co-founder of Telraam.

On 12 September, our Citizen Science Inspiration and Networking Day returns! Expect an inspiring keynote, a series of engaging talks, workshops covering various aspects of citizen science, and a convivial networking lunch!

From 12 to 15 November, OpenLab.brussels is organising the international conference "Creating Knowledge Through Participatory Research".

From 19 to 24 January, the Citizen Science School will welcome novice researchers and citizen scientists to a new edition of the Citizen Science Winter School. Registrations open in June 2024.