A short report on our last workshop "senseBox - Citizen Science mit Open Hardware für SDG 11 - Nachhaltige Städte und Siedlungen" (in German) is now online. Have a look!

At the last platform meeting of Österreich forscht, a new working group was founded. The aim of the Strategy Working Group is to develop a strategy with a plan of action for Österreich forscht and the Citizen Science Network Austria until 2025. More information can be found on the new working group page.

mit:forschen! Gemeinsam Wissen schaffen, jointly run by Science in Dialogue and the Museum of Natural History Berlin and funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, is the German citizen science platform. It features projects, publications, a blog, and general information on citizen science and has been active since November 2013. The task of mit:forschen! Gemeinsam Wissen schaffen is to further develop citizen science in Germany, to make it better known and to provide information about projects to participate in research.

The cooperation agreement signed with the Citizen Science Network Austria states that both networks or platforms will work together and support each other's activities (both nationally and internationally), that they will cooperate within the framework of the Austrian Citizen Science Conference and in the working group for quality criteria for Österreich forscht, and that they will coordinate citizen science activities in German-speaking countries with each other.

We are very pleased that we will continue the excellent cooperation of the past years in the future to further strengthen the citizen science communities in both countries.

For mit:forschen! Gemeinsam Wissen schaffen,
Wiebke Brink, Project Manager mit:forschen! Gemeinsam Wissen schaffen at Science in Dialogue, and Silke Voigt-Heucke, Project Manager mit:forschen! Gemeinsam Wissen schaffen at the Museum of Natural History Berlin

With Schweiz forscht, which is run by the Science et cité foundation, we have found another competent and reliable partner from Switzerland. Schweiz forscht is the Swiss counterpart to Österreich forscht and lists citizen science projects from Switzerland and provides general information on citizen science. Schweiz forscht is in charge of the Citizen Science Network Switzerland, the website schweiz-forscht.ch, is the contact point for various interested parties (media, universities, citizen scientists, etc.) and conducts international monitoring in the field of Citizen Science.

In the Memorandum of Understanding signed with the Citizen Science Network Austria, it is stated that there will be mutual support and cooperation in national and international activities in the field of citizen science, that there will be close cooperation, especially in the area of the two online platforms, and that there will be joint coordination of citizen science activities in German-speaking countries.

For Schweiz forscht and the Science et Cité Foundation,
Deputy Managing Director and Head of Citizen Science, Tiina Stämpfli, lic.phil.

Citizen Science Zurich, operated by the University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, is the first international partner of the Citizen Science Network Austria with whom a formal Memorandum of Understanding has been signed, putting further cooperation on a new footing. Citizen Science Zurich aims to provide researchers and citizens with the opportunity to conduct joint research projects in various fields of science and society, from basic physics to health issues, and to provide the resources, expertise and technical know-how to plan, develop and implement citizen science projects; adhere to excellent standards in research methodology, including results discovery, data collection and quality, and research ethics; and participate in global efforts for sustainable development by generating applicable knowledge and data to achieve the SDGs at local, regional and global levels.

The objectives set out in the Memorandum of Understanding include cooperation and mutual support of activities in national and international working groups, joint actions in national and international events and conferences, joint research projects, and joint project submissions.

For Citizen Science Zurich of the University of Zurich and ETH Zurich,
Director Research and Development, Maria Rosa Mondardini

With SPOTTERON we would like to introduce a supporter of the Citizen Science Network Austria, without whom Österreich forscht would not exist in its present form.

At the end of 2014, when Österreich forscht was still a self-built website, the founder of SPOTTERON became aware of it. He understood our approach and wanted to support it. He helped us to bring the Österreich forscht platform into its current form and to relaunch the website for the first Austrian citizen science conference in 2015. Since then, SPOTTERON has grown enormously: It offers apps and websites for citizen science projects, and some of the projects on Österreich forscht and internationally are already running on this system.

SPOTTERON also designed and programmed the conference website for ECSA  and the Swiss Citizen Science Platform Schweiz forscht. In addition, there are videos on individual projects and on citizen science in general. The clips for our Citizen Science Pub Quizes were also produced by SPOTTERON, for example. You can find more information on the company website.

We are very pleased to have won SPOTTERON as an important supporter and look forward to continuing our good, future cooperation!

The Fossilfinder project was on Servus.TV in PM Wissen! You can find the link to the recording in the new blog post by project manager Alexander Lukender! By the way: if you would like to be automatically informed about all new blog posts about project Fossilfinder or Alexander Lukeneder (or any other project or author), you can subscribe to the team or author by clicking on the letter symbol under the team- or author-name.

We are very pleased to welcome the University of Applied Sciences Carinthia (FH Kärnten) as a new partner in the Citizen Science Network Austria. The Carinthian University of Applied Sciences lives the model of direct practical relevance. Full-time and part-time employees as well as guest lecturers from industry and business ensure an interdisciplinary, internationally oriented university education. At present, about 30 study programmes are offered in the fields of technology, health and social affairs as well as economics.the Carinthian University of Applied Sciences is a dynamic and dialogue-oriented university of applied sciences with regional roots and international orientation. It is active in the focal areas of health and social affairs, technology and economics. Its core tasks lie in the areas of study and teaching, applied research, knowledge transfer and continuing education. For these reasons, the Carinthian University of Applied Sciences has already gained a lot of experience in participatory research and we are pleased to welcome you here.

It is with great pleasure that we welcome our newest and at the same time most western member of the Citizen Science Network Austria: the inatura in Dornbirn. The inatura is not only an interactive exhibition space where visitors can learn everything about the nature of Vorarlberg, it also offers further education courses, expert advice and is also a research centre. As a multifunctional institution, inatura is of course no stranger to citizen science: it sees itself as a hub for citizen science in Vorarlberg and informs the Vorarlberg population about citizen science projects that are being carried out in the region.

We are very pleased that inatura is now part of the network and that we will work closely together in the field of citizen science in the future.