EPiCS – ENGAGE PEOPLE in CITIZEN SCIENCE

A new three-year Erasmus+ project, EPiCS (Engage People in Citizen Science), has launched with the aim of fostering stronger connections between higher education and local communities. By bringing together Citizen Science and Research Service-Learning (RS-L), EPiCS supports collaborative, applied approaches to learning and research.

The project brings together eight partners from seven countries in a social innovation experiment to explore how students, researchers, and community members can jointly design research projects to address real-world challenges. Through this partnership, EPiCS hopes to contribute to more engaged forms of academic practice and civic participation.

• Encourage community involvement in scientific research
• Promote interdisciplinary and experiential learning within higher education
• Develop an online academic deliberative arena for Citizen Science initiatives and research service learning projects
• Launch six pilot citizen science projects across Europe
• Share tools and guidance through an open-access toolkit and handbook

“Responding to challenges like climate change, inequality, and democratic disengagement, require new models of collaboration between science and society in an academic environment,” said Lotta W Tomasson, Head of Communications at Public & Science Sweden.“EPiCS provides an opportunity for students, researchers, and citizens to collaborate and learn how to work together in meaningful ways.”

In addition to its pilot projects, EPiCS will offer training modules, co-design events, and open-access educational resources. While focused on academic settings, the project’s broader aim is to encourage more inclusive and informed participation in civic life across Europe.