The ACTION project launches the second edition of its Accelerator for citizen science projects with a kick-off meeting starting on 11 January and ending on 15 January 2021!

The event will address some of the most important topics for citizen science projects: scientific research methods, online citizen engagement and motivation, diversity and inclusion, open data, data quality and data lifecycle, impact assessment and policy impact.

The ACTION Accelerator supports six citizen science pilots, four of which were selected through the second ACTION Open Call and two are resuming activities after a pause imposed by the Covid pandemic. During the kick-off the pilots will refine their work plans and take on board the suggestions and lessons learned developed by the project so far. With the help of their mentors, the new ACTION pilots will fine tune their planned activities and methods and will be ready to start working on the field. This is the first step of an intensive support programme that will help projects to become more participatory, rigorous and inclusive.

Here two examples of citizen science pilots participating in  the second edition of the ACTION Accelerator:

WOWNature

Etifor, a consultancy spin-off of the University of Padova specialising in ecosystems services, is gathering data using Wiseair’s air quality sensors in forests run by citizens’ groups and organizations. This will enable assessing the role trees play in improving air quality by capturing PM; the pilot is active in the Po Valley (in Northern Italy), one of the areas with worst air qualities in Europe.  

Water for Future

The project is implemented by Source International, a NGO that works with communities dealing with environmental pollution and health problems principally caused by extractive industries. The project focuses on water pollution in and around the mineral city of Cerro de Pasco, in Peru. It will engage local youth and community members to grow scientific monitoring competences and gather data on water quality. 

More information about the ACTION Accelerator can be found here: https://actionproject.eu/accelerator/

About ACTION

The ACTION (Participatory science toolkit against pollution) project is co-funded by the European Commission under the Horizon 2020 framework, SwafS programme and started on 1st February 2019. ACTION co-designs methodologies, tools and guidelines to open the scientific process to new groups and communities, making citizen science more participatory, inclusive, citizen-led and democratic. Last year the project ran its first Open Call and financed six pilots addressing different kinds of pollution that participated and graduated successfully in the ACTION Accelerator programme. More information about the ACTION pilots that participated in the first Accelerator is available here: https://actionproject.eu/citizen-science-pilots/

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