ScienceUs Special Session: Co-creating the Citizen Science Readiness Level (CSRL)

Session Overview

Date: March 23, 2025
Type: Online workshop
Led by:
• Noémie Maughan (ULB)
• Leticia Martinez-Garcia (ULB)
• Fabien Borget (amU)
• Aline Baas (amU)

Participating CS sub-projects: Acqua Sorgente, CoRE-ACTS, Energy Poverty, Blue-Green Tops

Building on the December workshop where project teams explored the SRL, ORL, and CRL frameworks, this session marked the first step toward co-creating a tailored Citizen Science Readiness Level (CSRL) scale. The goal was to move from using existing frameworks to designing our own, based on the real experiences and needs of citizen science practitioners. This hands-on session fits within the HARVEST framework’s emphasis on methodological innovation and cross-project learning, laying the groundwork for a shared tool that will benefit the entire ScienceUs community.

Key Topics Covered

  • Defining the “ingredients” of a citizen science project: Teams collaboratively identified the essential components that make a project truly citizen science, from engagement to data management to long-term impact.
  • Clustering ideas into core dimensions: Through collective clustering, participants grouped their ideas into 10 thematic dimensions that will form the backbone of the CSRL scale.
  • Building the first levels of the scale: In breakout groups, teams began drafting the Low, Medium, and High maturity levels for specific dimensions.
  • Reflecting on who is “ready”: A key discussion emerged around expanding the concept of readiness beyond citizens to include other stakeholders such as institutions, policymakers, and partner organizations.

Highlights & Insights

The session revealed the richness and diversity of perspectives across the four projects. During the initial brainstorming phase, participants generated a wide range of “ingredients” for citizen science projects. Through collective clustering, these ideas naturally coalesced into 10 core dimensions that will form the foundation of the CSRL scale: Engagement, Data Management, Participatory Approaches, Missions & Values Alignment, Scientific Rigor/Methodology, Accessibility, Acknowledgment/Awareness, Cultural Alignment, Capacity-Building, and Impacts (Long-term Vision/Scalability).

A particularly valuable discussion emerged around the question of who exactly is being assessed. As one mentor noted, the CSRL framework prompts us to rethink whether we are only measuring citizen readiness, or whether we should also consider the readiness of institutions, policymakers, and other actors who must be “ready” for citizen science to succeed. This insight will inform the next phase of development.

Teams also reflected on the inherent tension between bottom-up, participatory approaches and the risk of missing certain dimensions when building a scale collaboratively. While time-consuming, this inclusive process ensures the final tool reflects real-world experiences rather than abstract ideals.

Quotes from Participants or Mentors

“It was helpful to map in our mind all the steps of the project – from an abstract idea to something concrete.”
— Sara, Energy Poverty project

“The brainstorm made us change our mindset about who is concerned – not just citizens, but also institutions and other stakeholders.”
— Noémie, Mentor (Université Libre de Bruxelles)

“We have a bottom-up approach which is time-consuming – maybe it’s a risk to lose or miss some dimensions? But it’s valuable to build it together.”
— Alcestis, Blue-Green Tops project

Tools, Methods or Resources Shared

  • Miro collaborative board: Used throughout the session for brainstorming, clustering, and breakout group work.
  • Icebreaker activity – “How’s your energy today?” A quick visual check-in that helped set a collaborative tone.
  • Brainstorming & clustering methodology: Participants generated ideas individually, then collectively grouped them into thematic circles.
  • Breakout group structure: Three rooms working in parallel on different dimensions, allowing focused deep-dives.
  • CSRL draft template: A 3-column table (Low/Medium/High) used to begin defining maturity levels for each dimension.

What’s Next?

The next step is to organize a follow-up session in April, where teams will review the consolidated draft of the CSRL scale and refine the maturity levels for each dimension. This second session will focus on finalizing the CSRL draft and ensuring it reflects the diverse experiences of all participating projects.

“Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Research Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.”