Survey results guide the planning of the citizen research panel

In June and October 2024, we collected views and experiences on citizen science from the university staff. The responses will be utilized in planning the structure and operations of the citizen research panel, which will be established in 2025, as well as in preparing related training sessions. A big thank you to all respondents!

The Science Belongs to Everyone! project aims to create a university-wide citizen research panel. Through this panel, researchers will gain a tool to involve citizens in various stages of the research process.

The survey provided us with valuable insights into the perceived benefits and challenges of citizen participation. The most frequently mentioned benefits included increased impact of research and greater public interest and trust in science. On the other hand, challenges highlighted included the complexity of the research process and additional costs incurred by the research.

According to the project leader Tella Lantta and development manager Sanni Helander, the results also show that citizen science methods can be further expanded and developed.

– “Based on the survey, involving citizens is seen as a valuable addition to different phases of research, but, for example, the necessary practices are not yet familiar to everyone,” says Lantta.

The survey also brought forward challenges that the project aims to address:

– “The responses revealed that many have not received training in citizen participation in research or consider lack of time and funding as obstacles. We aim to address these challenges through the citizen research panel and the planned training sessions targeted both the citizens participating in the panel and the researchers commissioning tasks,” explains Helander.