Citizen Science policies in Europe: where do we stand?

Citizen Science is increasingly recognised as an important component of Europe’s research and innovation landscape. National governments, research organisations, and European institutions are increasingly acknowledging the value of engaging citizens in scientific processes, contributing to more inclusive and socially relevant knowledge production. However, policy recognition alone is not enough. To understand how Citizen Science is evolving across Europe, we also need reliable ways to track progress, identify gaps, and support learning between countries. This is where the EOSC Open Science Observatory plays an important role.

Written by Tereza Szybisty

Monitoring Open Science - focus on Citizen Science

The EOSC Open Science Observatory, developed as part of the EOSC Track project, provides a European evidence base for monitoring the development of Open Science policies and practices across countries. Through the Observatory, it is possible to monitor multiple aspects of the Open Science ecosystem, including developments related to Citizen Science. The platform brings together several types of data that help create a more complete picture of how Citizen Science is supported and implemented across Europe.

Among the information that can be explored in the Observatory are:

National policies and strategies related to Open Science and Citizen Science
Monitoring mechanisms established at national level to track Citizen Science activities
Financial investments supporting Citizen Science initiatives
Country narratives, which provide qualitative insights into national developments and policy contexts
Research outputs and resources, such as publications, datasets, and software connected to the Open Science ecosystem

The Observatory integrates data from several sources, including the EOSC Steering Board Survey on National Contributions to EOSC and Open Science, the OpenAIRE Graph, and the European Open Science Resources Registry. Together, these sources allow the Observatory to combine structured policy information, open scholarly data, and qualitative national insights.

Monitoring Framework for National Contributions to EOSC and Open Science for the EOSC Steering Board

Learn more about the Monitoring Framework

Understanding the landscape of Citizen Science in Europe

Data currently available in the Observatory shows that Citizen Science is increasingly recognised at the policy level across Europe. In 2024, 14 European countries report having a national policy related to Citizen Science. These policies may take different forms: some countries have standalone Citizen Science strategies, while others integrate Citizen Science within broader Open Science or research and innovation frameworks. However, the data also reveals an important gap between policy recognition and systematic monitoring. While 14 countries report national policies, only 3 countries currently report having national monitoring mechanisms dedicated to Citizen Science. This means that in most countries, while Citizen Science may be recognised at the strategic level, there are still limited structures in place to systematically track its development, impact, or support mechanisms.

The Observatory also captures reported financial investments supporting Citizen Science initiatives. For 2023, countries reported approximately €16.9 million invested in Citizen Science-related activities across Europe. Reported investments come from several countries, including Spain, France, Germany, Ireland, Poland, and Slovenia, with funding levels ranging from smaller targeted initiatives to national programmes of several million euros. However, this figure should be interpreted carefully. Because monitoring mechanisms are still limited in many countries, financial investments are not always systematically tracked or labelled as Citizen Science funding. In many cases, support for Citizen Science is embedded within broader programmes such as Open Science initiatives, research funding schemes, or societal engagement programmes.

Dive deep into data on Citizen Science

Contributing to the European Citizen Science Association Conference (ECSA 2026)

Insights from the EOSC Open Science Observatory were recently presented at the European Citizen Science Association (ECSA) Conference as part of the session titled “Citizen Science across Europe: From national strategies to shared policy goals.” The session was organised as a roundtable discussion, bringing together perspectives from national initiatives and European-level policy monitoring. As part of the programme, the EOSC Track project contributed a video presentation highlighting how the EOSC Open Science Observatory supports the monitoring of Citizen Science policies across Europe and what current data reveals about policy recognition, monitoring capacity, and financial investments. The roundtable also drew on the outcomes of nation-wide cases from Spain, Portugal, and Poland, which explored how Citizen Science strategies are being developed within different national contexts.

Learn more about the ECSA Conference

Towards better evidence for Citizen Science policy

The insights emerging from the EOSC Open Science Observatory highlight both progress and opportunities for further development. Citizen Science is increasingly recognised in policy frameworks across Europe. However, monitoring capacities remain uneven, and financial investments are not always visible or systematically tracked. Strengthening monitoring mechanisms and improving data visibility will be essential for turning policy ambitions into measurable outcomes.

The EOSC Open Science Observatory contributes to this effort by providing a shared European evidence base that supports transparency, learning, and coordination. By making policy developments, investments, and national contexts more visible, it helps countries better understand their progress and learn from one another as Citizen Science continues to grow across Europe.