Be an expert on your disease and join our research!

The PATIO initiative is working hard to strengthen the voices of prostate cancer patients and their caregivers heard in medical research.

Why is it important to act now? 

Porstate cancer affects a considerable number of people in Austria. On the one hand,around 65,000 men have suffered from this particular type of cancer by the end of 2020 (Statistics Austria, 2022), and on the other hand, there are countless partners, children, grandchildren and close friends who stand by the side of those directly affected by the disease. Over time, caregivers acquire more and more knowledge about prostate cancer and thus become valuable mediators of the everyday life with the disease and the corresponding research. 

Our aim is to make everyday life with prostate cancer easier for those affected by the disease with the help of a digital communication tool. 

Being disgnosed with "cancer" is a dramatic experience and prostate cancer is likely to be a challenging disease both during and after treatment. In addition to the physical effects, the disease can also affect your personal relationships, hobbies, work life and financial situation. It is your individual strategies for coping with the side effects of cancer that can be extremely valuable not only to other people affected by cancer, but also to research!

This is where the PATIO initiative comes in. Since 2020, we have been working closely with a total of nine patients and one patient's relative to improve the overall quality of life. We want to learn from their personal stories and experiences. Together, we want to find ways to improve everyday life with prostate cancer for everyone involved.

“PATIOSpots” as a result of direct public participation and engagement

The “PATIOSpots” health guide app was developed in a co-design and co-creation process with people affected. It allows users to find various relevant contact points on a worldwide map or to enter them themselves in a participatory way. Points of contact can be, for example, toilets, treatment centres, support groups, medical supply shops, etc. Other features can also be added to the locations (opening hours, cleanliness, facilities, etc.). The app is also directly linked to our website www.patiospots.com. Articles on current scientific issues and everyday life with prostate cancer are also regularly published here. Our "PATIO Lounge" forum is another networking platform where people can exchange views on various topics.

PATIO's vision is to provide the best possible information on treatment options and advice on how to manage the symptoms of the disease, but also to provide a communication platform for internal exchange and an interface between doctors and patients.

The initiative

The PATIO initiative is a collaborative research project that brings together scientific knowledge from different disciplines and the practical expertise of prostate cancer patients in Austria. The project is being carried out at the Medical University of Vienna in collaboration with scientists from academia as well as with the official support group for prostate cancer in Austria. Nine patients and one relative contribute their knowledge and life experience to the extended team. The project was funded by the Open Innovation in Science Center of the Ludwig Boltzmann Society.

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The "Österreichische Vogelwarte" reports that the Hungarian Bumblebee (Bombus haematurus) has now been sighted in Lower Austria: https://www.citizen-science.at/blog/ungarische-hummel-in-niederoesterreich-gesichtet

Did you know that you can subscribe to our blog and be automatically informed about new posts? You can find out how here: https://www.citizen-science.at/blog/willkommen-am-blog-von-oesterreich-forscht

DeVOTE is a research project funded by the European Research Council (ERC) from January 2021 to December 2025, and led by Ass.-Prof. Carolina Plescia to develop and apply a new approach to study what ‘voting’ means for ordinary citizens. The project’s goals are:

• understand what ‘voting’ means for ordinary citizens;
• examine the variation of 'voting' meanings across individuals and across countries;
• study how elections create and modify these 'voting' meanings;
• investigate the consequences of 'voting' meanings for citizens' preferences, attitudes and their political behaviours;
• devise an election 'observatory' for systematic data collection on the meanings of voting on Election Day that can favour the scientific interpretation of election outcomes.

Why does this matter?

The question what is the meaning of voting is of great importance today due to the growing distrust in the act of voting itself and in democratic institutions in many countries around the world. The DeVOTE project investigates the political, symbolic and psychological meanings of voting. What does voting mean to you? Is voting a civic duty? Is there a political alternative to voting?

Using a novel methodological approach, a new typology of meanings and motivations for voting will be developed. Through the practice-oriented analysis of elections, the project offers an important source of information on the political significance that citizens attach to elections and the act of voting. The project does not only focus on the already well-researched countries in Western Europe, but also looks at the so-called autocracies in Europe and beyond. This allows new insights into voting outside of democratic systems.

How can you participate?

DeVOTE invites you to participate by sharing your own meanings of voting and help us explore the diversity, change and use of all possible meanings of voting in your own country and beyond. Participation is possible via an online form on the project website. There are various ways you can take part in DeVOTE:

		1. Your opinion matters → DEFINE VOTING! You can write down terms and descriptions for your own definition of voting answering the question “What does voting mean to you?”
		2. You are the observer → IMAGINE DEFINITIONS! You can tell us where your definition of voting comes from.
		3. You are the researcher → COLLECT DATA! You can search for the many possible definitions that journalists, parties, politicians, stakeholders and so on give to voting and describe them.
		4. You are the expert → CATEGORIZE MEANINGS! You can provide direct input to the researchers in DeVOTE by categorizing the meanings of voting we have collected.

Since April 2021, the University of Vienna has been working on the project BaF - Biodiversity in Cemeteries in cooperation with Friedhöfe Wien GmbH (Vienna cemeteries). The aim is to document biodiversity (the occurrence of a wide variety of animals, plants and fungal species) and to investigate the active and passive impact of humans on cemetery areas as habitats. This collaboration between the university and the municipal cemeteries represents a significant step towards understanding the diverse ecosystems within the cemeteries and developing measures for the sustainable conservation and promotion of biodiversity. The BaF project thus not only contributes to scientific research, but also to the sustainable development of urban green spaces.

Cemeteries as biodiversity hotspots - project goals & participation

Cemeteries are more than just places of mourning and remembrance. Due to their location, size and the various natural areas they harbour, they represent an important habitat for a variety of organisms. But exactly how many creatures live in cemetery areas has not yet been researched. The BaF Biodiversity at Cemeteries project aims to carry out a comprehensive inventory of biodiversity in Austrian cemeteries and invites you to become part of this exciting research project and discover the fascinating world of cemetery nature.

Why is research into biodiversity in cemeteries so important? Quite simply! Because such an inventory not only allows conclusions to be drawn about changes in biodiversity, but also provides insights into the coexistence of humans and nature. By collecting data on the various plant and animal species, important insights can be gained into how human activities affect the environment and what measures can be taken to protect biodiversity. Together with volunteers and experts from a wide range of fields, various methods are used to record biodiversity, including counting and identifying plant and animal species, carrying out mapping and creating biotope maps.
Join in and help us unravel the secrets of cemetery nature! Every contribution counts and helps us to better understand and protect our environment. More information at: baf-austria.at.

This is how it works: 

1) Discover plants, animals or fungi at the cemetery site.

2) Send us a photo or your report to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or use the sighting form on our website.

3) Give us information about time and place of your sighting.

4) We help with determinations and you help to protect the biodiversity of our city!

The team and the organisation

BaF consists of a small team of student assistants, lecturers and of course you. Project leaders are Thomas Filek and Doris Nagel, who, in addition to the organisation, also take care of the staff and the dialogue with you.

Partners

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• Reed grass (Calamagrostis brachytricha) Reed grass (Calamagrostis brachytricha)
• Carpenter ant (Camponotus sp.) Carpenter ant (Camponotus sp.)
• Black woodpecker (Dryocopus martius) Black woodpecker (Dryocopus martius)
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The Ideenbox (box of ideas) collects the problems of citizens and patients around the topic of health (such as physical and mental health issues, social consequences, care, health prevention...), for which solutions are to be developed with citizens, researchers and other stakeholders. Which health problem do you want research to solve? Who should be involved in finding a solution? Send us the health problem that you would like research to address through this simple online questionnaire (in German). The contribution does not have to include a solution, only the problem itself, which can address a personal or a general/societal concern.

See an example of a problem in the video below. In our YouTube playlist you can find more example videos.

Why are citizens’ health experiences important for research? 

In some way we all research our own health: we learn which tea soothes the intestines and observe which pollen makes our eyes cry. All this information and knowledge come together in our personal reference book. We aim to enable the involvement of this expertise from people who are interested in or are facing problems related to health. By doing so, we not only try to make health research more democratic - we also hope to ensure that valuable knowledge from people with lived experience is not lost.

Why should I participate? 

Because you have something to say and you know something that experts potentially do not know. You have your own experiences and observations that are extremely valuable for research. The Ideenbox gives you the opportunity to share your observations with experts in order to develop relevant recommendations for action and new research topics.

What happens after I have submitted my health problem?

With your consent, we will publish your contribution on the Open Knowledge Map platform from autumn 2021 onwards, thus making the contributions visible. We will also actively promote the published contributions in a larger community of different stakeholders. In addition, we offer you the option of publishing your contact details in pseudonymised form on the Ideenbox Knowledge Map. This allows researchers and other stakeholders to contact you (e.g. to learn more about your problem) without them first receiving your contact details or being able to establish your identity. Interested parties will only receive your contact details if you respond to their request. Further details on data protection can be found on pur project website. If you have any questions about data protection or other issues, you can write to us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

After the collection phase, participating citizens will evaluate the contributions together with researchers and edit them in workshops around spring 2022, to find solutions to the problems. All relevant stakeholders (depending on the problem i.e. health practitioners, teachers, social workers, psychologists…) will also be involved in this process. Therefore, when you submit your contribution you have the possibility to choose to remain in contact with us, so that we can keep you informed about the project results and invite you to the workshops. This should enable networking between society and science. 

Who is behind the project?

The project is managed by the Open Innovation in Science Center (OIS Center) of the Ludwig Boltzmann Gesellschaft (LBG). The LBG is a recognised non-university Austrian research institution that operates 20 institutes, with a thematic focus on medicine and life sciences as well as the humanities, social and cultural sciences. The LBG specifically initiates new research topics in Austria and develops and tests new forms of cooperations between science and non-academic actors such as the public sector and civil society.

The OIS Center acts as a competence centre for this approach. The Center has already successfully handled a mental health campaign with the involvement of patients and citizens and has transformed their problems into institutional research.

In spring, scientists invite everybody around Europe to take part in the biggest cowslip observation campaign “Looking for Cowslips”. The aim of the project is to examine the patterns of flower morphological traits (i. e. heterostyly) in cowslip populations all across Europe using a citizen science approach. The citizen science project “Looking for Cowslips” was carried out already in 2019 and 2020 in Estonia and Latvia. Within the frames of this campaign, we obtained heterostyly data from > 150 000 cowslip individuals in each year of 2019 and 2020 in Estonia (and Latvia). Since 2021 we are also asking enthusiastic citizen scientists across the EU to participate and contribute, with great success. Data originating from the campaign provides unprecedented insight into the patterns of heterostyly following the loss of semi-natural grasslands.

Participants are expected to observe the patterns of heterostyly in cowslips. The cowslip (Primula veris) is a heterostylous plant – it means that the plant can have one of the two types of flowers. These different types of flowers are called S-morphs (short-styled) and L-morphs (long-styled). In short-styled cowslips (S-morphs), five anthers are visible in the flower when looking from above, and in individuals with L-type flowers, a green dot in the middle of the flower (the stigma) is visible. Normally in cowslip populations, the frequency of these different types of individuals is more or less equal. Imbalance reduces a plants’ opportunities to find a suitable mate for reproduction, which impedes pollination and the exchange of genetic material. This, in turn, reduces a plants’ vitality. The cowslip’s regular habitats – traditionally managed grasslands – have become increasingly rare in the contemporary landscape. The disappearance of grasslands causes decline in plant populations depending on grassland habitats. A massive decline in cowslip populations can cause substantial imbalances in the frequency of L- and S-morphs to the extent that one of those types completely disappears from the habitat. That is precisely the kind of a possible shift in the balance between the L- and S-morphs caused by changes in the landscape that we want to study – with your help. An observation takes about 30 minutes. When possible, one should observe the flowers of 100 cowslip individuals. Look at the flower and report whether you see five anthers (S-morph) or one stigma (L-morph). Find the time, breathe some fresh air, and help scientists with their work!

For more information, check out our webpage www.cowslip.science.

To find out more about the interesting findings from the first year of the campaign, you can read the article at: https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/1365-2745.13488.

You can contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for further questions.

Publishing is fun - a Citizen Scientist reports on his first publishing experience in the current blog post (in German): https://www.citizen-science.at/blog/publizieren-macht-spass-ein-citizen-scientist-berichtet-ueber-seine-erste-publikationserfahrung

The Practical Robotics Institute Austria, PRIA for short, serves to encourage the next generation of scientists and engineers through robotics and ICT, as well as application-oriented research in current topics in robotics, automation and ICT. With regard to pedagogy and education, PRIA works to increase the interest of children and young people in research, technology and innovation. This is achieved, for example, by involving schoolchildren in complex projects and problem-solving processes. Within this framework, PRIA develops new learning models that encourage learning and experimentation on the one hand, and on the other hand, encourage pupils to implement their own ideas. In the area of industrial research, PRIA focuses on the development of innovative control architectures for robotics and automation as well as the implementation of flexible industrial processes.

For Practical Robotics Institute Austria:
Deputy chairman Wilfried Lepuschitz