Enhancing Citizen Science Engagement Lessons Learned from the Ent-r-e-novators Project

This paper explores the findings from the Ent-r-e-novators project, a European Commission-funded initiative aimed at enhancing citizen participation in research. The project, launched in 2022 under Horizon Europe, seeks to bridge the gap between science and society by fostering long-term engagement in citizen science. It presents a framework for researchers to address the challenge of sustaining citizen involvement beyond initial project phases. Key components of the framework include a Maturity Model for assessing researcher engagement competencies, training tools to improve citizen participation, and strategies for fostering co-creation with citizens. The study highlights essential factors such as the role of engagement angels (supportive individuals and organizations), the concept of liminal spaces (environments conducive to collaboration), and the importance of intrinsic motivators like shared ownership. Ultimately, the paper emphasizes the need for developing researcher competencies to make citizen science more impactful, inclusive, and sustainable. Acknowledgements The work is supported by Ent-r-e-novators project which has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Programme under the grant agreement number 101071317.