April is Citizen Science Month, dedicated to raising awareness about this branch of science that enables people from all walks of life to actively participate in scientific research. As citizen science gains global visibility during this month, the Citizen Science Office of Barcelona joins the international campaign, highlighting the importance of public involvement in numerous research projects. Everyone possesses knowledge, tools, and resources that can contribute to scientific advancement, and therefore, can take part in different stages of the process—from formulating hypotheses to analyzing data and generating results.

The Citizen Science Office: promoting participatory research in Barcelona

In 2012, the Barcelona City Council launched the Citizen Science Office of Barcelona. Its goal is twofold: on one hand, to support the initiatives of research groups tackling scientific and social challenges by promoting public engagement; and on the other hand, to foster knowledge and active participation among individuals, bringing science closer to society as a whole.

Throughout its years of activity, the Office has collaborated on more than thirty projects, focused both on environmental monitoring and on issues affecting health, well-being, and broader social challenges. Most of these are research lines launched by universities and research centers—some short-term, others long-term—and can range from local in scope to contributing to global data repositories and initiatives.

Currently, thanks to around twenty active projects, the Office leads two cross-cutting programs. After eight editions, the Citizen Science in Schools program has involved 129 educational centers and more than 3,800 students. Meanwhile, Citizen Science in Neighborhoods has supported research projects carried out in civic centers, libraries, and schools, with over 14,000 people taking part.

Working to make science even more participatory

Thanks to the community of professionals involved in citizen science projects linked to the Office, annual workshops are held to assess the challenges and opportunities of this field, as well as to share and ensure good practices. At the latest edition of Citizen Science Day, organized by the Office at the Gabriel García Márquez Library, participants reflected and collaborated to generate new ideas to foster active participation—one of today’s major challenges.

Each project is different, not only in terms of its target audience and their motivations, but also in the channels, formats, and dynamics used, the goals pursued, and the settings in which they take place. Innovative strategies may include introducing artistic formats, working in unconventional locations, reaching out to organized communities, or involving underrepresented groups. The main goal is to turn citizens into “advocates.”

Citizen science around the world: a growing community

The North American platform SciStarter, an international benchmark, recorded one million “acts of science” last year—that is, individual citizen actions within the framework of citizen science projects in which they are involved.

In Europe, there are also citizen science platforms such as European Citizen Science (ECS), a project funded by the European Commission that brings together hundreds of citizen science initiatives, around twenty of which are based in the metropolitan area of Barcelona. In Catalonia, platforms like MINKA or NATUSFERA have already built significant communities: the former hosts 335 active projects with more than 16,000 participants, while the latter—linked to the international biodiversity monitoring platform iNaturalist—includes over 70,000 observers and nearly 30,000 species identifiers.

Thanks to support structures and platforms like these, along with the Citizen Science Office of Barcelona, research and society can join forces to build a global participatory science community that expands knowledge.