University of Turku citizen research panel

A place where science and everyday life meet.

University of Turku citizen research panel brings together the needs and capabilities of researchers and citizen volunteers. The panel acts as a platform that spans all disciplines within the university. It promotes interaction at different phases of research process, from planning to dissemination of results.

For researchers, the panel provides a way to involve citizens and find broader perspectives. Researchers or research groups will submit tasks to the panel based on their specific research needs.

The panel offers citizens the opportunity to participate, influence the research process and learn new skills. The citizen research panel will consist of a group of voluntary participants from Turku, Southwest Finland and Satakunta area recruited in 2025.

The panel will encompass all disciplines at the University of Turku, making it a unique and pioneering initiative in Finland.

Panel Activities:

Brings research and citizens closer to each other
Enhances the quality and impact of research
Trains citizen scientists and academic researchers for collaborative research

Questions about citizen research panel

The citizen research panel reflects a growing emphasis on strengthening the interaction between science and society. It supports the movement towards making science more transparent, accessible, and inclusive.

Increasingly, research funders and scientific journals require citizen participation to be integrated from the early stages of a project.

Public involvement not only improves the quality and impact of research but also builds trust in science by fostering openness and collaboration.

Finally, engaging citizens is a matter of responsibility. Much of scientific research is publicly funded, and researchers are accountable for ensuring transparency in how these funds are used.

The citizen research panel serves all of us: researchers, citizens, and society as a whole.

Researchers:

Researchers gain new perspectives and tools for developing their research
Their research projects have potential for a stronger social impact, ideally improving funding opportunities
They have the chance to collaborate with various societal actors.

Citizens:

Panel participants get their values, experiences, and needs heard
They can influence the conduct of science and the development of society
They learn about the research process and science in everyday life.

Society:

Society benefits from more targeted and impactful research addressing societal challenges
Dialogue between science and citizens fosters trust and cooperation.

Citizens:

The citizen research panel is open to anyone who is at least 15 years old, lives in Southwest Finland or Satakunta, and is interested in contributing to scientific research. The panel has been designed for people who want to share their perspectives, learn more about how research works, and take part in discussions about topics that matter to society.
You don’t need a background in science or research to join. The panel welcomes individuals from all walks of life, ensuring a diverse range of views and experiences. Whether you’re a student, a professional, a retiree, or simply curious about science, your input is valuable!

Researchers:

The panel may serve researchers who want to make their work more collaborative and inclusive.
Researchers seeking fresh perspectives, wanting to ensure their work addresses real-world concerns, or aiming to engage the public in their research process can benefit greatly.
To utilize the citizen research panel, researchers must be affiliated with the University of Turku.

For now, the panel works only in Finnish. The panelists do not need to be native Finnish speakers but able to communicate in Finnish.

For non-Finnish-speaking researchers, we recommend collaborating with a Finnish-speaking colleague.

Volunteers from diverse backgrounds are recruited locally (Turku, Southwest Finland, Satakunta) to join the panel. The age limit fot the panel is 15 years.
Researchers or research groups submit task invitations to the panel based on the needs of their research.
The panel operates university-wide, encompassing all disciplines at the university.
The panel’s activities (mostly meetings for group discussions, other forms also possible) take place online or at site.
The impact and benefits of the panel’s work are continuously evaluated from both the researchers’ and citizens’ perspectives.

Please see more here.

The role of citizen scientists as members of the citizen research panel is to act as partners to researchers. Their tasks vary depending on the research project and its requirements, but the main principle is active participation and influence over the research process.

Each member of the panel may be involved in multiple tasks, and all panelists undergo online training before joining the panel.

You can find out more about the citizen scientist role here.

Researchers/research groups submit task invitations to the panel based on their research needs.

Researchers complete a short online training session containing concrete guidance on how to effectively utilize the citizen research panel before starting their work.

You can find out more about researcher role here.

The Science belongs to everyone! project is coordinated from the department of Nursing Science in University of Turku.

Please contact us via the Contact page if you have any questions or ideas you would like to share.

Sure! Research projects at the University of Turku are continuously seeking voluntary study participants (study subjects). Please read more here. Unfortunately, the info is only in Finnish.

Participatory science at University of Turku

You can search European projects that are engaging the public in research via citizen science activities on EU-Citizen.Science platform.