ECSA Conference 2026 – Citizen Science bridging Centre and Periphery

Public & Science Sweden will take part in this year’s ECSA conference in Oulu, Finland, with a panel session, two posters and a showcase Pitch.

Building Citizen Science capacity in European countries – lessons from the European Citizen Science ambassadors network

Location: LO130 Thursday 5 March, 14:30-16:15

The panel aims to explore lessons from ECS Ambassadors Network about building citizen science in their countries, highlighting case studies, challenges, opportunities, and the essential needs for future projects and inclusive citizen engagement strategies.

Lotta Waesterberg Tomasson, European Citizen Science ambassador of Sweden and Head of Communications at Public & Science Sweden, will participate with the presentation The need of a node! Why Sweden has to restart our national citizen science network. Read blog post here.

Posters:

Biodiversity monitoring by volunteers trusted by governmental agencies – the Swedish case 

Location: Saalastin Hall Wednesday 4 March, 16:45-18:15

Sweden has a long tradition in monitoring biodiversity and population dynamics through voluntary efforts based on standardised protocols. The databases are trusted by governmental authorities for management decisions, regional, national and international reporting and are used in courts of law.

Despite their collaborations between science and volunteers, the Swedish monitoring systems rarely call themselves citizen science and are lacking from the European Citizen Science Association community. In this poster, we will shortly discuss whether these experienced systems think that the methods of citizen science can help cover gaps in biodiversity monitoring.

Presented by Kjell Bolmgren, researcher at Public & Science Sweden

How do you feel good? A citizen science approach to elderly mental health in Sweden. 

Location: Saalastin Hall Wednesday 4 March, 16:45-18:15

Mental health is unequally distributed in Sweden’s elderly population. Still, solutions are often shaped by preconceived notions and ageism. In this citizen science project, we invited elderly persons to shape the project and share their stories, answering the question: How do you feel good? We are currently in the process of analysing the narratives and will present thematic findings and our experiences of working with this method and target group. Read about the project here and an interview with Project Manager at Public & Science Kjell Bolmgren here.

Presented by Lotta W Tomasson, Head of Communications at Public & Science Sweden

Showcase Pitch Session:

Participants present their citizen science project, result, or idea in a passionate, 3-minute pitch on stage.

Set in stone! Citizen science for mining innovations. 

Location: L2 Wednesday 4 March, 11:15-13:00

By using X-ray tomographic 3D-scans, we can make efficient use of drill cores for the mining industry. However, information in these 3D-scans is overwhelming. We are now developing a global citizen science platform to allow classification of what’s visible in these 3D-scans. Read about the project here.

Presented by Kjell Bolmgren, researcher at Public & Science Sweden

See the whole conference programme here.

Hope to see you there!