On Monday 28 September 2026, Scivil is organising the Citizen Science Networking Day at Aeropolis, near Schaerbeek station. Registrations are now open. We are also pleased to announce the keynote speaker: Dr Dilek Fraisl, Senior Researcher at IIASA and Managing Director of the Citizen Science Global Partnership. In her keynote, she will highlight the role of citizen science as a bridge between local action and policymaking, across different levels of governance and themes.

In addition, the final call for contributions to two specific sessions is now open: “What works in communication and engagement?” (NL) and “Citizen science for environment & policy” (EN). Interested in contributing to these sessions? Email info@scivil.be.

During lunch, there will also be a citizen science market where projects can showcase their work. The number of places is limited. You can register for the market via the registration form.

For European Researchers’ Night on 26 September 2026, Scivil, AfricaMuseum, Meise Botanic Garden, The FoodBridge and KU Leuven are joining forces for the project Roots and Recipes. As part of this, we are organising a (Citizen) Science Fair on food and are looking for research projects that would like to present their work to a broad audience. Projects with a link to (African) food or with a participatory approach will receive special attention, but broader food-related research is also welcome. Those who would like to take part can email info@scivil.be.

Through amai!, Scivil and the Knowledge Centre Data & Society invite citizens to help reflect on AI applications with societal impact. Following an initial call, a selection was made of promising innovations, for which citizen input is now being gathered through a large citizen panel. During FTI’s Expeditie Next (24 and 25 October 2026, Nekkerhal Mechelen), citizens and researchers will come together to discuss these applications in order to further optimise them and better align them with societal needs.

As part of the Citizens4Water project, a global inventory of citizen science projects on freshwater has been compiled. Through an extensive online search, based on the Citizen Science Scan method, both existing platforms and individual projects were mapped. The result is a dataset of 369 projects worldwide, now available in open access via Zenodo, offering new opportunities for research, collaboration and policy development.

Citizen science took centre stage during a UNESCO side event on water management in Paris, where experts and policymakers discussed the role of citizens in data collection and sustainable water management. The report (in Dutch) also refers to a presentation by Karen Verstraelen (Scivil) on the Citizens4Water platform, giving the project international visibility as an example of how citizen science and open data can contribute to improved water management and knowledge sharing.

On 13 May 2026, RVO-Society, the umbrella organisation of Scivil, organised the event Innovation for Tomorrow to mark its 25th anniversary. RVO-Society brought together participants from education, the research field, the technology sector and civil society organisations. The central question was: how do we collectively build a society that is fit for the future? In our review, you can read about the key moments and insights from the day.

UHasselt now brings its citizen science initiatives together on a single central page. On its citizen science website (in Dutch), the university outlines its vision and provides an overview of ongoing and completed projects involving UHasselt researchers.

Are you collaborating with UHasselt on a citizen science project that is not yet featured on the website? Let them know via wetenschapscommunicatie@uhasselt.be. Curious about how other universities approach citizen science? Discover the initiatives of UGent, KU Leuven, UAntwerpen and VUB.

Researchers from the ‘Feline Research’ group at Ghent University analysed videos of and submitted by cat owners in a striking study, in order to examine cats’ behaviour during interactions with one another. Based on these videos, they investigated how cats signal and respond to other cats in everyday situations. The use of submitted videos thus provides new insights into social behaviour in cats.

The Radio Meteor Zoo project has published a paper on MOMSTER, a mobile meteor detection kit that enables secondary school students to observe meteors themselves. The study explores the combination of inquiry-based STEM education with citizen science, and discusses experiences related to teacher support, interdisciplinary collaboration and technical accessibility. The paper also refers to the Scivil guide ‘Citizen science in the classroom’ (only available in Dutch).

The Citizen Science & Education Working Group of CS‑NL is taking a first concrete step to strengthen the connection between citizen science and education in the Netherlands. Among other activities, they will work with the Scivil guide ‘Citizen Science in the Classroom’ (available in Dutch only), adapted to the Dutch education system. Those who would like to join the working group can become a member via the CS‑NL community hub on JOGL or get in touch with the coordinator.

The Global Conference on Citizen Science for Health (CS4H) has launched a call for abstracts focusing on the societal impact of citizen science in health. Contributions may explore collaboration between citizens, patients, researchers and policymakers, as well as themes such as health inequalities, ethics and the co-creation of data. A variety of formats can be submitted, ranging from presentations and posters to interactive sessions. The submission deadline is 1 September 2026.

On 17 June, European Citizen Science (ECS) and IMPETUS are organising the online event No Project is an Island: Bridges towards a joint legacy for the future of citizen science in Europe. During this free closing event, the community will reflect on the impact of both projects and look ahead to how the accumulated knowledge and collaboration can further strengthen citizen science in Europe.

The ECS Platform brings together citizen science podcasts from across Europe and beyond on the European Citizen Science Podcast Hub. The first episodes were produced within the ECS project and are being complemented with contributions from the wider community. The first episode, Who gets to do science, focuses on inclusion: what works, where the challenges lie, and which topics remain underexplored. The platform also offers many other podcasts.

An interactive webinar on how to integrate citizen engagement into research and innovation projects will take place on 23 June. The session focuses on practical methods to make participation more inclusive and effective, thereby strengthening citizen science in research. The webinar is organised by REINFORCING and facilitated by Stickydot, and is aimed at researchers, project coordinators and policy officers.

Scivil interviews someone each month about their experiences with citizen science. This month, we spoke with Professor Nicholas Cauwenberghs and PhD student Roxane Brouwers about VanHarte, the project in which citizens screen fellow citizens for risk factors linked to cardiovascular diseases.

The online ECS & IMPETUS final event takes place on 17 June and brings together the citizen science community around knowledge sharing and collaboration.

The Bloomin'Algae Conference, organised by ULiège, will take place on 18 June and introduces a participatory count of cyanobacteria via the Bloomin'Algae app.

On 23 June, the interactive workshop ‘How to integrate citizen engagement into your research and innovation project?’ explores practical ways to integrate citizen engagement at different stages of your project.

The 11th edition of the Living Knowledge Conference will take place in Gdańsk, Poland, from 7 to 10 July 2026. The theme is research and solidarity.

On 28 September 2026, Scivil's next Citizen Science Networking Day will take place. The event will be held at Aeropolis in Brussels, near Schaerbeek station. This year, Scivil is organising the Networking Day in collaboration with Beweging.net, VITO and VUB.

The PCST Berlin Symposium 2026, “Building Knowledge Together: Citizen Science, Communication, and Trust”, will take place on 5 and 6 October 2026.

CARN Conference 2026: Towards a just and humane society is an international conference that will take place on 5-7 November in Utrecht, the Netherlands.

The Citizen Science 4 Health Conference 2027 will take place from 19 to 21 April 2027 in Odense, Denmark.