Explained

Citizen engagement is about the co-design of research agenda, co-creation of research contents and co-assessment of research and innovation (R&I) outcomes with citizen and civil society. Involving citizens and civil society in R&I will ensure that the processes and results align with the values, needs and expectations of society, improve the quality of the R&I conducted, the effectiveness of funding and its impacts, and help foster trust and understanding between science and society.

Social responsibility and active citizen and societal engagement in R&I are highlighted in the Pact for R&I in Europe.

In the ERA Policy Agenda (2025-2027), citizen engagement is addressed with a dedicated ERA structural policy on Enhancing Trust in Science through Citizen Participation, Engagement and Science Communication. Its expected outcomes are the generation of common approaches for public engagement in R&I in the ERA and the sharing of policy knowledge on how to enhance trust in science through public engagement. Equally, the structural policy will deliver innovative ways of effectively and inclusively engaging stakeholders and citizens around the topic of science and its role in society; also through the scaling up of good national practices in citizen participation and engagement to the EU level.

The ERA Policy Agenda (2022-2024) aimed to mobilise and engage citizens and civil society in R&I to reach the ambitious targets of the European Green Deal, create stronger public understanding, ensure the societal uptake of new solutions and approaches as well as strengthen the trust of the society in science and vice-versa.

Horizon Europe supports citizen engagement by:

Fostering young scientific talent across Europe through the EU Contest for Young Scientists;
Strengthening trust in science by fostering participation in research as a co-creative and inclusive process, sensitive to societal values, concerns and needs (see for example projects VERITY, IANUS, POIESIS);
Promoting the practice of open and responsible research and innovation by developing and piloting training activities for researchers at all stages of their careers;.
Increasing the capacity to conduct excellent R&I through citizen science;
Engaging the European citizen science community in capacity building and awareness raising activities (see for example project ECS European Citizen Science);
Fostering and rewarding excellent citizen science initiatives and maximizing their impact (see for example project Impetus);
Fostering the upscaling of citizen science practices from small-scale to a Europe-wide level for maximise project impact and generate a EU-wide network of connected citizen projects, for example through projects CROPS and ScienceUs.

On this page, you can find relevant resources and tools, ongoing projects and upcoming calls for proposals, and insights on outcomes and impacts of Horizon Europe support for citizen engagement.

Resources and tools

The EU Contest for Young Scientists

Science competition for young scientists, aged 14 to 20, that brings together first prize winners of national contests for school science projects.

European Union Prize for Citizen Science and the Accelerator Program

Annual open call for accelerator program and Citizen Science Prize. The EU Prize for Citizens Science rewards outstanding citizen science initiatives that enact change, expand knowledge, and address social, political, cultural, and environmental challenges through the involvement of citizens. By Horizon Europe project IMPETUS.

European Citizen Science Academy

A repository of high quality resources, activities and training events aimed at improving skills and knowledge for citizen science practitioners, civil society, public authorities, businesses, (in)formal and education establishments, and research funding and performing organisations. By Horizon Europe project European Citizen Science.

EU-Citizen.Science platform

Knowledge hub for sharing knowledge, tools, training and resources for citizen science – by the community, for the community. It helps mainstreaming of citizen science, and builds on the growing impact of citizens participating in research across the full range of scientific enquiry.By Horizon Europe project European Citizen Science.

MICS Online Guidance

Platform that allows users to learn more about the impact of citizen science, how to co-design initiatives for impact and also the measure the impact of their own initiative. By introducing key parameters, users can evaluate the impact of a project from conception to realisation and beyond, seeing how impact changes over time. By Horizon 2020 project MICS - Measuring the impact of citizen science.

Handbook of Youth Citizen Social Science

Handbook and toolkit with guidance for methodologies and co-creative approaches for collaborative research. It is for anybody interested in conducting a co-creative citizen social science project in practice, and especially for those interested in working together with young people and the local community, on social issues and for social change. By Horizon 2020 project You Count.

CORDIS results pack on citizen science

This results pack showcases 12 EU-funded projects that are developing good practices as well as building the capacities and networks needed to foster successful collaborations with citizens across Europe.

CORDIS results pack on science communication

This results pack showcases 9 EU-funded projects that examine issues such as quality of science communication, trust in science, and the mitigation of the spread and impact of misinformation, disinformation and fake news.

European Competence Centre for Science Communication

It provides open-access resources and tools, including standards, principles and criteria for science communication resources, which will support the curation of the Competence Centre library, a crisis navigator to support a rapid mobilisation of science communication in times of crisis, together with policy recommendations. By Horizon Europe project COALESCE.