Citizen science

Citizen science, simply put, is the participation of citizens in scientific research. This can be achieved in many different ways and at different stages of a research project. 

VUB endorses the definition used by Scivil, the Flemish Knowledge Centre for Citizen Science: 

"Citizen science is about scientific work that is carried out - fully or in part - by the general public. A citizen science approach can be used in every phase of the research process. Citizens can be involved in formulating a research question, determining research methods, collecting data, analysing data and/or reporting results. The citizens who participate in these activities are called citizen scientists. In citizen science, citizens of all backgrounds participate in scientific research. Researchers receive help from the general public in performing scientific tasks, and citizens learn about the scientific process. In citizen science, citizens are not just passive recipients of scientific information, but are also actively involved in scientific research. "

To promote and support civil science participation at VUB, the university has set up a citizen science contact point and launched a project call for citizen science projects.