Citizens4Water, the global platform for citizen science and water, will officially launch on Wednesday 11 February, from 15:00 to 17:00 CET, during an online webinar. During this online event, you’ll discover how citizen science and water research are connected across the world. Speakers from around the world will share their experiences, best practices, and challenges in water and citizen science. Register now and don’t miss this international launch.

Are you attending the European Citizen Science Association (ECSA) Conference in Oulu, Finland (4–7 March 2026)? Scivil and CS-NL are hosting a Belgian–Dutch meetup during the Icebreaker Drinks on Monday 2 March, and everyone is warmly invited.

Just like in 2022 and 2024, this will be the perfect moment to make new connections and exchange experiences. Want to join us? Sign up now and stay informed about all practical details.

On Tuesday 27 January, the amai! project was featured at the European online event “Engaging citizens with science: Insights and success stories from across Europe”, organised by the INSPIRING ERA project. Scivil colleague Karen Verstraelen presented amai! as a Flemish citizen science case on co‑creation with artificial intelligence. A full recording of the event, along with presentations from other leading initiatives, is now available on the organiser’s website.

Our workshop ‘Getting Started with Citizen Science’ on Thursday 19 February is fully booked. However, you can still sign up for the waiting list by sending an email to info@scivil.be. We will contact you as soon as a spot becomes available, or if we schedule a new workshop at a later date.

Our project amai! was selected as one of the fifteen international finalists of Falling Walls Engage, held in Berlin from 6 to 9 November 2025. Our colleague Karen pitched the project on a remarkable stage, putting citizen science and AI from Flanders in the spotlight. We didn’t take home the top prize this time, but we returned with fresh insights, new inspiration, and valuable connections.

Read the full recap on our website.

On 25 October, Scivil organised a citizen panel in Ghent about the plant-based compounds terpenoids and flavonoids, as part of the European deCYPher project.

A total of 29 participants reflected on which compounds should be prioritised for further research. The results of the panel are now available.

Read the full report on our website.

On Wednesday 18 February, the VISAVIS project is hosting an online webinar on recognising and understanding visual disinformation. Discover how citizen science campaigns in Belgium and Sweden help participants detect disinformation more quickly, and learn how professionals can apply these insights in their own work.
The webinar is free and will be held in English.

In a new policy brief, VUB-SMIT explores which barriers stand in the way of inclusive citizen participation in research. Based on expert interviews, the authors outline concrete strategies to make research truly inclusive and participatory.

Read the full policy brief here.

The citizen science project Telraam won the second prize at the Smart Deal 2025 competition in Barcelona, one of the world’s most prestigious smart city events. Their innovative approach, empowering citizens to collect high-quality traffic data, resonated with an international jury of top investors and smart city experts.

On Tuesday 10 February, Stickydot is hosting a training session on co‑creation and multi‑stakeholder engagement. Participants will learn practical techniques such as stakeholder mapping and designing inclusive participation processes.
This training is ideal for researchers, project managers and communication officers looking to strengthen their participatory activities.

The REINFORCING booster call is now open. The programme offers up to €20,000 in funding for projects that bring together citizens, researchers and civil society to co‑create solutions for European security, with a strong focus on Open and Responsible Research and Innovation (ORRI). Examples include citizen juries, participatory workshops, or ethical governance tools that explore societal impacts and risks of security innovations. 

Apply until 4 March 2026.

The University of Zurich is organising the Citizen Science Summer School from 7 to 12 June 2026, with a focus on co‑creating knowledge. The programme includes workshops, keynotes and exchanges for Master’s students, PhD candidates, postdocs and practitioners. 

Applications are open until 15 February 2026.

SPOTTERON has launched the Co-Use Program, offering an accessible solution for citizen science projects that don't have their own app. By joining existing apps, partners gain access to a complete toolkit, regionalised data and communication features, with lower costs and fewer risks.

In this interview, we spoke with Koen Verbist, Programme Specialist at UNESCO, and Karen Verstraelen, Project Coordinator at Scivil, about the Citizens4Water project.

Citizens4Water is a global inventory of citizen science initiatives related to freshwater management. The official launch of the platform is marked by a free online webinar on Wednesday 11 February (from 15:00 to 17:00 CET).

From December 2025 to March 2026, ScienceUS is hosting a four‑part online Info Day Series on the role of citizen science in climate action.

The RISE Pilot Training (20 January – 17 February 2026) provides social economy organisations with practical knowledge to participate actively in research and innovation.

The Marine Citizen Science Data Network Workshop will take place on 3 and 4 February 2026. In-person spots are fully booked, but you can still register to attend online.

On Tuesday 10 February 2026, Stickydot is hosting an interactive training in Brussels on co‑creation and multi‑stakeholder engagement.

Learn more about Citizens4Water during this launch webinar, featuring speakers from around the world sharing their experiences, best practices and challenges.

On 11 February 2026, INBO will launch the Flemish Biodiversity Portal at the Herman Teirlinck building in Brussels. 

amai! celebrates its 5th anniversary with the Night of amai! on 12 February in Technopolis.

On Wednesday 18 February, the VISAVIS project is hosting an online webinar on recognising and understanding visual disinformation.

Curious about citizen science but not sure where to begin? Scivil is hosting a workshop exploring how citizen science can support your idea, research or project.

Ahead of the ECSA Conference 2026, Scivil and CS‑NL are bringing together Belgian and Dutch citizen science professionals on 2 March.

From 4 to 7 March 2026, the next edition of the ECSA Conference will be held in Oulu, Finland.

The European Science Engagement Conference 2026 will take place in Luxembourg from 19 to 21 May, with the theme “In Other Words and Other Worlds”.

The 2026 Conference for Advancing the Participatory Sciences will be held online from 26 to 29 May.

From 7 to 12 June 2026, the University of Zurich will host the fifth edition of the Citizen Science Summer School.

The 11th edition of this conference will take place in Gdansk, Poland, from 7 to 10 July 2026. The theme is research and solidarity.