CitSciHelvetia connects Swiss stakeholders in Citizen Science and participatory research in general, promoting the exchange of experiences and shared learning between the three language and cultural regions.
Citizen Science (CS) refers to a scientific method. It is also called participatory science or participatory research. This method allows citizens to act as volunteer scientists together with academic scientists.
Citizen Science is a flexible concept that can be applied in a wide variety of situations and disciplines. Participants in citizen science projects generate scientific knowledge together. Citizen Science and participatory research build a bridge between science and society and have the potential to strengthen mutual learning for societal development. Citizen Science is also often intended to initiate societal developments, address challenges, and make an impact in a wide variety of areas.
CitSciHelvetia is organized every two years, alternating between different Citizen Science stakeholders in Switzerland. The first CitSciHelvetia in 2021 was hosted by the Citizen Science Center Zurich and the Participatory Science Academy of the University and ETH Zurich in partnership with Science et Cité / Schweiz forscht and Bioscope (University of Geneva).
The second edition, organised by the Science et Cité Foundation and supported by the Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences, took place in Solothurn in 2023.
The third edition will take place on 5 and 6 June 2025 at the University of Lausanne (UNIL) and will be organised by the ColLaboratoire (UNIL's Unit for Action, Collaborative and Participatory Research). It is supported by UNIL, the Science et Cité Foundation and the Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences.
The conference addresses project leaders and project staff of Citizen Science projects, representatives of universities, research institutions, NGOs and associations as well as people who engage themselves in Citizen Science on an institutional level. In addition, the conference addresses representatives of science communication, transdisciplinary and participatory research, and Open Science.
