The workshop “Sensing Our Environment Together: Citizen Sciences for Climate and Air Quality” (30 September–1 October 2025) brought together academics, associations, and local stakeholders committed to addressing climate and air‑quality challenges through participatory research. Designed as a prototype for future CIVIS Open Labs, the event fostered dialogue between diverse actors, encouraged the exchange of methodologies, and highlighted the value of inclusive, science-based action. By convening experts and communities across different territories, the workshop aimed to enhance transnational collaboration and strengthen the collective capacity to address environmental issues.
The workshop “Sensing Our Environment Together: Citizen Sciences for Climate and Air Quality” (30 September–1 October 2025) brought together academics, associations, and local stakeholders committed to addressing climate and air‑quality challenges through participatory research. Designed as a prototype for future CIVIS Open Labs, the event fostered dialogue between diverse actors, encouraged the exchange of methodologies, and highlighted the value of inclusive, science-based action. By convening experts and communities across different territories, the workshop aimed to enhance transnational collaboration and strengthen the collective capacity to address environmental issues.
Ahead of the event, a dedicated consultation process helped identify key expectations and needs from participants, shaping a series of hands‑on thematic sessions. These explored how to engage and sustain citizen participation, translate data into action, select appropriate measurement tools, and integrate citizen science within universities. Participants worked collaboratively to analyse challenges, co‑design solutions, and reflect on how citizen‑generated knowledge can meaningfully contribute to policy, education, and community empowerment.
The full workshop report—available as a downloadable PDF in this Resource section—serves as a comprehensive dissemination tool, capturing the session outcomes, methods, and insights developed collectively by participants. It is intended to support both CIVIS partners and external stakeholders, educators, and practitioners seeking to strengthen participatory research, replicate successful approaches, and further advance citizen science initiatives across Europe and beyond. The document illustrates how citizen science operates as both a scientific and social process, grounded in openness, inclusivity, and shared learning.
Authors: Christèle Aubry, Université de Lausanne & Robin Lebrun, Université libre de Bruxelles
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The Aix-Marseille Polycrisis Declaration (June 2026)
The Aix-Marseille Polycrisis Declaration is the outcome of the final conference of the PolyCIVIS Jean Monnet Network, a partnership of 21 African and European universities, most of them part of CIVIS Alliance. The declaration addresses the growing reality of the “polycrisis,” in which conflict, climate change, forced migration, economic insecurity, governance challenges, and social inequalities interact and reinforce one another. Recognising that young people are disproportionately affected by these interconnected crises, the declaration emphasises the need for stronger Africa–Europe cooperation and places youth agency, participation, and leadership at the center of responses to contemporary global challenges.- Global partnerships
- Polycrisis
- Policy recommendations
- Students
- Academics
- Researchers
- Civil society
- Policy makers
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European Universities alliances: Impact, Insights, and the Road Ahead (April 2026)
Since the launch of the European Universities initiative in 2019, alliances such as CIVIS have moved well beyond experimentation and are already transforming higher education. That was the clear message from the keynote panel held on 28 April, 2026 in Brussels as part of the CIVIS Units Summit, which brought together representatives from EU institutions, researchers and alliance leaders to take stock of achievements and challenges ahead and discuss with over 70 CIVIS Staff members about the future of alliances.- European Degree
- European Universities initiative
- Communication and Dissemination
- Article
- Audiovisual materials
- Video
- Students
- Academics
- Researchers
- Administrators
- Policy makers