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Citizen Science Hub
Projects of Citizen Science VILNIUS TECH
PROJECTS OF CITIZEN SCIENCE
Digitisation of cultural heritage of minority communities for equity and renewed engagement (DIGICHer)
Digitisation of cultural heritage of minority communities for equity and renewed engagement (DIGICHer). Grant agreement: 101132481.
Call: HORIZON-CL2-2023-HERITAGE-01-03
Digitisation of cultural heritage of minority communities for equity and renewed engagement’ (DIGICHer) aims to re-visit and provide new understandings on the key legal and policy, socio-economic and technological factors that drive the digitisation of minorities’ cultural heritage (CH) in order to develop a novel validated scalable framework, designed via user-centric approaches, to promote equitable, diverse and inclusive practices. Building on such a framework, the project provides research and knowledge-based recommendations for policy and decision makers, as well as CH institutions, for mainstreaming equity, diversity and inclusiveness of minority groups through participation and engagement in CH digitisation processes. It also delivers methodologies for decision support to enable decision makers to monitor the field of digital heritage with specific regards to its diversity long-term.
Our ambition will be elaborated through pilots from three representative minority groups in Europe, namely the Sámi, the Jewish people and the Ladin people. In addition, we will engage in co-creation activities also with representatives of other minorities in the EU. Through this conceptually novel validated user-centric framework and related evidence-based recommendations, DIGICHer seeks to support the European CH sector to become more digitally adept, capable to reap the benefits and capitalise fully on the opportunities of digital CHby fostering practices for production, management, sharing, and (re-)use of digital CH of minorities in a manner that is value and context respectful, and ethically-empowered. Long-term, this will enable preservation, maintenance and renewal of digital CH in a way that appropriately reflects its intended content and promotes digital practices in accordance with European values, decreasing the risk of content misuse, increasing re-use opportunities, and promoting equity, diversity and inclusion in European digital CH, contributing to a more responsive and democratic cultural sector, whose digital activities reflect the plurality of European worldviews.
PROJECT IN THE NUTSHEL:
Duration: February 1st, 2024 – January 31st, 2027
Budget: € 3 899 812,50
MORE ABOUT THE PROJECT
PROJECT COORDINATOR:
Vilniaus Gedimino technikos universitetas
PROJECT PARTNERS:
- Europeana Foundation, Netherlands
- Friedrich-Schiller-Universitat Jena, Germany
- Lapin Yliopisto, Finland
- Istituto Italiano Di Studi Germanici, Italy
- Kansallisarkisto, Finland
- Jewish Heritage Network, Netherlands
- Istituto Culturale Ladino, Italy
- Viesoji Istaiga Lietuvos Inovaciju Centras, Lithuania
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ASSOCIATED PARTNERS:
- Network to Promote Linguistic Diversity (NPLD), Belgium
- Time Machine Organisation, Austria
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The DIGICHer project is funded by the European Union’s HORIZON EUROPE research and innovation programme under the grant agreement No 101132481. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Research Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
TOWARDS A PAN-EUROPEAN RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURE FOR EXCELLENT CITIZEN SCIENCE (RIECS-Concept)
TOWARDS A PAN-EUROPEAN RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURE FOR EXCELLENT CITIZEN SCIENCE (RIECS-Concept)
Project number: 101188210
Call: HORIZON-INFRA-2024-DEV-01-01
The project duration: January 1, 2025 – December 31, 2027 (36 months)
Project budget: 2 997 895,75 EUR
RIECS-Concept aims to conceptualise the new research infrastructure in Europe through the engagement of multiple stakeholders and acknowledging society as a part of the research infrastructure. The project will bridge the resources typically used by citizens, such as mobile apps, amateur scientific kits, or personal accessibility, with professional scientific resources, including databases, federated computing and storage facilities, citizen science platforms, and dedicated personnel. The RIECS-Concept will form the basis for initiating the unique research infrastructure and consolidating citizen science in Europe.
The RIECS-Concept (Towards a Pan-European Research Infrastructure for Excellent Citizen Science) will deliver a conceptual design with a feasibility study, develop a strategic roadmap that fosters open and participatory governance, and outline a five-year implementation plan. It will tackle technical, societal, and environmental challenges to establish a sustainable and shared Research Infrastructure.
The RIECS-Concept focuses on three scientific areas – environmental observations, health, and climate change – to facilitate engagement and address cross-cutting issues. These areas serve as a basis for examining citizen science as a scientific case.
By addressing the challenges of fragmentation in the citizen science landscape across Europe and globally, recognising the evolving role of society as an active partner in scientific endeavours, and ensuring long-term sustainable development, RIECS-Concept will foster cross-disciplinary and multilevel collaboration. These efforts contribute to enhancing the quality of citizen science data and support initiatives that strive for meaningful societal and scientific impacts.
- PROJECT WEBSITE
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The European Union’s HORIZON EUROPE Research and Innovation programme funded the project under grant agreement No. 101188210CLIMAte change citizens engagement toolbox for dealing with Societal resilience (CLIMA)
| Project number | 101094021 |
| Project name | CLIMAte change citizens engagement toolbox for dealing with Societal resilience |
| Call | HORIZON-MISS-2021-CLIMA-02 |
| Topic | HORIZON-MISS-2021-CLIMA-02-05 |
| Granting authority | European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency |
| Project starting date | fixed date: 1 January 2023 |
| Project end date | 31 December 2025 |
| Project duration | 36 months |
The ambition of the current project is to support a transformation to climate resilience by offering an innovative problem-oriented climate adoption Toolbox, co-designed together with stakeholders by applying a values-based approach, design thinking methods, and citizen science mechanisms. It is expected that the use of the Toolbox will anticipate possible tensions, points of controversy, and dilemmas vis-a-vis the adaptation to resilience - therefore enabling empowerment and engagement strategies that produce a society "resilient by design".
In addition, CLIMAS will include the empirical component for testing this Toolbox and formulating scientific-based guidelines for policymakers on how to shift Climate Assemblies from technically based deliberations that belong to climate change experts to multi-stakeholder deliberations based on solving the dilemmas from a bottom-up, more societal and value-based perspective.
CLIMAS outcomes will positively influence policy development and awareness-raising process and offer sustainable strategies to enhance the acceptance of citizens' led decisions by policymakers.
Project manager Prof Aelita Skaržauskienė, crypt:YWVsaXRhLnNrYXJ6YXVza2llbmVAdmlsbml1c3RlY2gubHQ=:xx
PROJECT COORDINATOR
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PARTNERS
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Supporting the Just transition for the Fashion sector (JUST FASHION)
Supporting the Just transition for the Fashion sector (JUST FASHION). Grant number: 101178623
Call: HORIZON-CL2-2024-HERITAGE-01-02
Budget: 3 759 773.04
Duration: December 2024 – November 2026
The European fashion industry is a significant economic force, with more than 160,000 companies employing 1.5 million people. However, its environmental impact is equally substantial. Textile consumption in the EU ranks among the top contributors to pollution, with 5.8 million tonnes of textiles discarded annually and high carbon emissions resulting from overproduction and wasteful consumption patterns. This ambitious collaboration between 20 partners from eight European countries (Belgium, UK, Lithuania, Italy, Spain, Germany, North Macedonia, and Portugal) aims to support Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and SMEs in navigating the transition toward a greener and more transparent fashion industry.
“Just Fashion”, is set to develop a portfolio of approaches to support and accelerate climate transition in the fashion industry, by providing businesses in the partner countries with a reference framework and tools to shift their production methods, internal procedures and final products towards more sustainable models that are lower carbon, circular and socially inclusive.
Just Fashion aims to address this problem by (1) mapping the current state of fashion and sustainability in Europe, (2) mapping and evaluating tools and on circular business models; (3) create a process of interventions to support these tools and support existing networks in preparing MSMEs and SMEs for the new legislation on the European Green deal.
During the projects JUST FASHION will
1) Develop of a new fashion industry sustainability index, and test several circular business model tools.
2) Run 6 pilot cases from different regions focusing on different aspects of circularity (end of life, materials, zero waste prototyping, circular business models, recycling techniques, transparency/traceability, etc
3) Update current instruments and tools in transformation & mitigation
4) Develop the necessary instruments to better prepare (M)SME's for European Green deals in terms of policy regulations (through building an AI support tool)
Project Manager:
Prof.dr.Rolandas Strazdas
crypt:PGEgaHJlZj0ibWFpbHRvOnJvbGFuZGFzLnN0cmF6ZGFzQHZpbG5pdXN0ZWNoLmx0Ij5yb2xhbmRhcy5zdHJhemRhc0B2aWxuaXVzdGVjaC5sdDwvYT4=:xx
prof.dr.Jūratė Černevičiūtė
crypt:PGEgaHJlZj0ibWFpbHRvOmp1cmF0ZS5jZXJuZXZpY2l1dGVAdmlsbml1c3RlY2gubHQiPmp1cmF0ZS5jZXJuZXZpY2l1dGVAdmlsbml1c3RlY2gubHQ8L2E+:xx
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Coordinator:
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The European Union’s HORIZON EUROPE Research and Innovation programme funded the project under grant agreement No. 101178623
WHat-if: Advanced Simulations for Testing the Effect of the Information Environment on the Functioning of Democracy (WHat-if)
WHat-if: Advanced Simulations for Testing the Effect of the Information
Environment on the Functioning of Democracy (WHat-if). Grant number: 101177574
CALL: HORIZON-CL2-2024-DEMOCRACY-01-06
The project duration: January 1, 2025 – December 31, 2027 (36 months)
Project budget: 3 197 385 EUR
The rapidly evolving political information environment poses significant challenges to democratic citizenship through e.g. the spread of disinformation, rise of hate speech, and lack of cross-cutting information. Methodological challenges, including proprietary data, limited external validity of experiments, and the inability to use societies as experimental playgrounds, hinder our ability to comprehensively understand the impact of interventions and regulations in improving the quality of democratic discourse.
WHAT-IF aims to develop and critically assess an empirically grounded simulation functioning as a digital twin of the digital political information environment. This ‘WHAT-IF machine’ can be used to test the effects of potential policy and regulatory interventions on democratic citizenship, offering a tool for evidence-based policy making in the realm of (social) media quality and regulation.
Our innovative approach combines data donation, Agent-Based Modeling and Large Language Models to create the simulation. It is validated using immersive virtual field experiments and by modeling 'what-if' scenarios based on proposed policy interventions and regulations. Co-creation with stakeholders, including policy makers and citizens, ensures close alignment with their needs. Finally, a critical analysis of the whole empirical chain will give insight into the desirability and legal feasibility of datafication and simulation of the political information environment.
Our insights into the role of the political information environment in shaping democratic citizenship will contribute to effective (social) media regulation and interventions. We will significantly contribute to novel Computational Social Science methods: we will integrate advanced AI tools with existing modeling approaches, and use respondent-centered data collection and synthetic data methods to harmonize CCS research with GDPR and other regulations.
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The European Union’s HORIZON EUROPE Research and Innovation programme funded the project under grant agreement No. 101177574FabCitizen: Data-centered Citizen Science for Schools in the Environment of FabLabs
The main objective of the FabCitizen project is to enable schools and their community to participate in high-quality citizen science projects. Together with its partners, Vilnius Tech aims to develop training tools to integrate quality citizen science projects into formal and non-formal education programmes.
More information about the project
More information about the project
AIware: The Artificial Intelligence-Aware Classroom
Artificial Intelligence and in particular machine learning has become a highly discussed topic in society. People are concerned about the enormous progress which might lead to both challenges and opportunities for the job market and for individual careers. However, Artificial Intelligence has not made it into the curricula of most countries in Europe. This is the starting point for the AIware project: We aim at creating a ready to use solution for schools consisting of a model curriculum, learning scenarios and materials for different aspects of AI for teachers and students of grade 7-12.
Artificial Intelligence has already changed the job market and individual careers - AI-powered algorithms outperform human beings in different aspects of personal and business life. Many job types even for well educated people will disappear in the coming years. It will be a key competency for people to understand how to utilize AI in their jobs and personal life productively. Furthermore, concrete competencies are necessary regarding the creation and utilization of AI-based systems, e.g. to analyze, interpret and utilize different types of data. Last but not least, dangers and concern need to be taken into account.
Artificial Intelligence has already changed the job market and individual careers - AI-powered algorithms outperform human beings in different aspects of personal and business life. Many job types even for well educated people will disappear in the coming years. It will be a key competency for people to understand how to utilize AI in their jobs and personal life productively. Furthermore, concrete competencies are necessary regarding the creation and utilization of AI-based systems, e.g. to analyze, interpret and utilize different types of data. Last but not least, dangers and concern need to be taken into account.
INCENTIVE
INCENTIVE is a cross-national 3-year long Coordination and Support Action (01/02/2021- 31/01/2024), supported by the European Union within the framework of the Horizon 2020 programme.
It aims to demonstrate the potential of citizen science through the co-creation, establishment and assessment of Citizen Science Hubs (CSH) in four European Universities:
University of Twente (the Netherlands)
Autonomous University of Barcelona (Spain)
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Greece)
Vilnius Gediminas Technical University (Lithuania)
By doing so, the project will accelerate the transition of these institutions to more inclusive, open and democratic innovation and scientific governance, under the principles of Responsible Research and Innovation. Moreover, the project seeks to deliver a legacy to European and international research institutes on how to create and operate their own CSH with the aim to secure a democratic and collaborative way of designing, implementing and monitoring scientific progress and technological growth.
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It aims to demonstrate the potential of citizen science through the co-creation, establishment and assessment of Citizen Science Hubs (CSH) in four European Universities:
University of Twente (the Netherlands)
Autonomous University of Barcelona (Spain)
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Greece)
Vilnius Gediminas Technical University (Lithuania)
By doing so, the project will accelerate the transition of these institutions to more inclusive, open and democratic innovation and scientific governance, under the principles of Responsible Research and Innovation. Moreover, the project seeks to deliver a legacy to European and international research institutes on how to create and operate their own CSH with the aim to secure a democratic and collaborative way of designing, implementing and monitoring scientific progress and technological growth.
INCENTIVE aims to demonstrate the potential of citizen science through the co-creation, establishment and assessment of Citizen Science Hubs in four EU Universities: University of Twente (NL), Autonomous University of Barcelona (ES), Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (EL) and Vilnius Gediminas Technical University (LT).
By doing so, the project accelerates the transition of these institutions to more inclusive, open and democratic innovation and scientific governance, under the principles of Responsible Research and Innovation. The project seeks to deliver a legacy to European and international research institutes on how to create and operate their own Hub with the aim to secure a sustainable future.
THE METHOD
Citizen Science Hubs are the vehicle to succeed in this process. INCENTIVE follows a coherent methodology to help RPFOs establish their own hub, from the conceptualization and set-up, to their full operationalisation. The diversity in the profiles of participating RPFOs is an excellent way to test the mehtod in different real-life settings and create a model that can be adopted at international scale.
More information about the project
International initiatives in Citizen Science
International Citizen Science initiatives aim to collect information and resources on citizen science projects for citizens, researchers and project institutions.
Scisstarter
SciStarter is a global Citizen Science Hub. "SciStarter is supported by the US National Science Foundation and the Center for Science and Public Engagement at Arizona State University. The platform provides access to thousands of citizen science projects around the world, searchable by geographic location, research topic, level of complexity and more. More than 100 000 citizen scientists are registered on the platform.
CitSci
CitSci is a global Citizen Science platform founded in 2007 by a group of researchers. In its early days, the focus was on research on invasive plants in national forests. Subsequently, the platform's activities have rapidly expanded both geographically and scientifically. The platform collects useful resources that facilitate the design, data collection, sharing and analysis of citizen science projects. The platform integrates other similar initiatives such as scistarter, Zooniverse, CyberTracker, iNaturalist. CitSci collaborates with various organisations. For example, The Land Institute, Leave No Trace, Smithsonian, Center for Collaborative Conservation, Alliance for Aquatic Resource Monitoring, etc. Currently, the CitSci platform has 1 006 projects running, 12 087 people involved, 1 423 027 measurements and 127 686 observations recorded.
Zooniverse
Zooniverse is a global platform that helps people participate in citizen science projects around the world. The platform is supported by the University of Oxford, Chicago's Adler Planetarium and the University of Minnesota Twin Cities (UMN). Zooniverse currently counts more than 50 active online citizen science projects and 1.6 million registered users worldwide, contributing to hundreds of investigator-led research projects.
CitizenScience.gov
CitizenScience.gov is the official website of the US government, which facilitates the application of crowdsourcing and citizen science across the country. The platform provides a directory of federally supported citizen science projects and a toolkit of support tools to help practitioners design and implement projects. CitizenScience.gov is a gateway to a community of citizen science practitioners and coordinators.
Scisstarter
SciStarter is a global Citizen Science Hub. "SciStarter is supported by the US National Science Foundation and the Center for Science and Public Engagement at Arizona State University. The platform provides access to thousands of citizen science projects around the world, searchable by geographic location, research topic, level of complexity and more. More than 100 000 citizen scientists are registered on the platform.
CitSci
CitSci is a global Citizen Science platform founded in 2007 by a group of researchers. In its early days, the focus was on research on invasive plants in national forests. Subsequently, the platform's activities have rapidly expanded both geographically and scientifically. The platform collects useful resources that facilitate the design, data collection, sharing and analysis of citizen science projects. The platform integrates other similar initiatives such as scistarter, Zooniverse, CyberTracker, iNaturalist. CitSci collaborates with various organisations. For example, The Land Institute, Leave No Trace, Smithsonian, Center for Collaborative Conservation, Alliance for Aquatic Resource Monitoring, etc. Currently, the CitSci platform has 1 006 projects running, 12 087 people involved, 1 423 027 measurements and 127 686 observations recorded.
Zooniverse
Zooniverse is a global platform that helps people participate in citizen science projects around the world. The platform is supported by the University of Oxford, Chicago's Adler Planetarium and the University of Minnesota Twin Cities (UMN). Zooniverse currently counts more than 50 active online citizen science projects and 1.6 million registered users worldwide, contributing to hundreds of investigator-led research projects.
CitizenScience.gov
CitizenScience.gov is the official website of the US government, which facilitates the application of crowdsourcing and citizen science across the country. The platform provides a directory of federally supported citizen science projects and a toolkit of support tools to help practitioners design and implement projects. CitizenScience.gov is a gateway to a community of citizen science practitioners and coordinators.
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