The vision of INCENTIVE is to identify and introduce the sustainable institutional changes that are required for the establishment of Citizen Science (CS) Hubs in European Research Performing and Funding Organisations (RPFOs). These institutional changes will provide a more effective framework for the wealth and sustainability of research results and bring unmatched benefits to local society and the RPFOs themselves, as the organizational base for the local knowledge ecosystem. The instrument to achieve the instritutional change are the Citizen Science Hubs.
A Citizen Science Hub is a scientific organisation (or part of a scientific organisation) with the purpose to initiate, execute, promote and coordinate participatory Research and Innovation (R&I) with and for citizens. As such, Citizen Science Hubs based in Research Performing and Funding Organisations are tasked to empower their internal and external stakeholders to co-create new knowledge in a transdisciplinary way, forging new stakeholder interactions and grounding Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) in society.
University of Twente (UT) | The Netherlands (INCENTIVE Coordinator)
The University of Twente (UT) is a young, entrepreneurial research university where 3,200 scientists and professionals conduct pioneering research on nanotechnology, ICT, biomedical technology and technical medicine, engineering, governance and behavioural sciences and geo-information / earth observation sciences. UT aims to ground RRI so that more knowledge becomes available on Citizen Science, but also how institutional changes need to be made, both at research, funding and policy level.
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) | Spain
The Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) is a multidisciplinary university, hosting an overall amount of almost 36,000 graduate and postgraduate students, 5.000 PhD researchers, and 3.800 research & teaching staff. The UAB plays a worldwide leading role in scientific research with a wide range of disciplines, in both education and research, well-positioned in international rankings (145 WUR 2019, 13 THE YUR 2018, 12 QS 50u50 2018).
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH) | Greece
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH) is the largest university in Greece with 86,000 under-graduate and 9,000 postgraduate students, performing research in all fields of theoretical and applied science. Since 2011, AUTh has collaborated with more than 1,900 partners for the implementation of more than 4,100 RTD projects with an overall budget of up to 180M€, and with external sources funding continually rising.
Vilnius Gediminas Technical University (VGTU) | Lithuania
Vilnius Tech (Vilnius Gediminas Technical University) is a leading higher education institution in Lithuania established in 1956. Vilnius Tech‘s mission is to develop a publicly responsible, creative, competitive individual who is receptive to science, the latest technologies and cultural values; to promote scientific progress, social and economic well-being; and to create value that ensures the development of both Lithuania and the region in a global context. Vilnius Tech has 13 research institutes, 3 research centres and 44 research laboratories. Vilnius Tech is a multidisciplinary university based on integration between technical and social sciences. In 2017, Vilnius Tech revised its focus areas of research to address the trends of sustainability and socially responsible innovation.