On November the 11th and 12th the Italian National Biodiversity Future Centre (NBFC) organised, with the support of the Italian association of citizen science, a two day training course on Citizen Science (CS).
In the opening session, Francesco Frati – Full Professor of Zoology and former rector at the University of Siena – described the mission of the NBFC and the role citizens can play in it. The mission of NFC is to identify suitable strategies for monitoring, conserving, restoring and valorising the biodiversity in different Italian regions. These crucial objectives cannot be achieved without the engagement of all social actors, with a special attention for Italian citizens. Therefore, to support Italian researchers in working with citizens, a dedicated working group was created within the centre The group is dedicated to citizen science and is chaired by Andrea Sforzi, president of the Italian Association of Citizen Science and Director of the Maremma Natural History Museum.
Massimo Labra, chief researcher at NBFC, Full Professor of General Botany at the University of Milano-Bicocca and founder and coordinator of the multidisciplinary research group ZooPlantLab stressed the need to increase a shared understanding on citizen science within NBFC and to develop shared guidelines on how to run CS projects in an effective way.
The training course covered all the main aspects of CS: from its genesis and evolution, to the roles of open science, open data, effective communication within CS projects, and the social dimensions of citizen science.
Antonella Passani, T6 Partner and Head of Research and member of the Italian Association for Citizen Science, gave a speech on how to map and describe the scientific, social, economic, political and environmental impacts of CS projects. Her lesson was an occasion to showcase the results of the IMPETUS project and highlight some of the CS initiatives supported by this project. It was also the right fora to announce the third upcoming open call of IMPETUS and introduce the PartArt4OW project.
While IMPETUS is a well-known actor in the CS community, PartArt4OW is a new project designed to support initiatives able to generate interdisciplinary and intersectoral projects promoting ocean literacy. The first open call will be launched in February 2025, focusing on initiatives that engage citizens through collaborative efforts in art and science.
These two days provide an excellent opportunity to exchange ideas and create new connections with a vibrant research community. Hopefully, these moments will also motivate and inspire more people in working at the cross-road between science and society through citizen science practices.
