Ethics, infrastructure, and institutional support for citizen science

2. Institutional contact points for citizen science

This module produces insights into establishing institutional contact points or hubs for CS. It explains the coverage of this concept and its relevance in understanding crucial support resources and infrastructure for CS. The module then proceeds to highlight examples of existing CS-ICPs, highlighting their diversity and the absence of a one-size-fits-all model. Learners will also explore the BESPOC model, encompassing elements like an online hub, service desk, communication tools, and knowledge resources, to help them contemplate and design single points of contact tailored to their institutions. Lastly, the module introduces a governance framework from the INCENTIVE project, enabling learners to design their governance structures for CS hubs.

Module description:

What?	How?	Why?
Examples of citizen science hubs or CS-ICPs	Describing types of citizen hubs or institutional contact points, for example libraries, research centres, and others. Three different examples are given to illustrate: Citizen Science Knowledge Center - University of Southern Denmark, Citizen Science Center Zurich, and Aarhus University Citizen Science	Demonstrating that citizen science hubs already exist and showing that there is no one-size-fits-all
The role of the CS-ICP in an institution	Describing the CS-ICP as a vital link between research and the wider community, ensuring that CS projects align with the organisation’s goals, values, and ethical standards while facilitating their successful implementation and impact	Allowing the learners to consider these functions of the CS-ICP: 1) Coordination and support, 2) ethical and legal compliance, and 3) quality assurance and promotion
Designing and customizing the CS-ICP for an institution	How to design on ICP with regard to impact, outreach and sustainability: 1) Assessment and needs analysis, 2) Role definition and structure, and 3) Training and integration	Enabling learners to design and customize the CS-ICP for their institution
Designing a governance framework for CS-ICPs	Presenting the governance framework designed by the INCENTIVE project	Enabling learners to design a governance framework

Slide available in slide deck.