The University of Oulu to host the 6th European Citizen Science Association (ECSA) Conference March 2026!

ECSA 2026 will bring together researchers, practitioners, artists, community members, NGOs, museums, archives, libraries, botanical and zoological gardens, and policymakers from across Europe and beyond. As the first ECSA conference hosted in the Nordic countries, it represents a milestone for Finnish academia and the national citizen science landscape. The event coincides with Oulu’s European Capital of Culture year (Oulu2026), supporting its theme of cultural climate change by connecting Finnish and Nordic research with broader European scholarship.

The conference programme includes keynote lectures, plenaries, panels, roundtables, workshops, and project pitches. Contributions will address citizen science in relation to sustainability, evidence-based decision-making, public health, political and legal frameworks, integrated resource management, and cultural and historical contexts.

Keynote speakers include Eliza Reid, former First Lady of Iceland and Canadian-Icelandic bestselling author; Mari-Leena Talvitie, Finnish Minister of Science and Culture; Camilla Bratland, associate professor in Sámi cultural studies at UiT the Norwegian Arctic University and Bente Sundsvold, associate professor in visual anthropology at UiT the Arctic University of Norway.

A public roundtable discussion, Gender and Culture in the North, will be held in the Laituri space at Saari library on Saturday 7.3. Panellists include Eliza Reid, best-selling author Katja Pantzar, and others.

Arts–science collaborations will be integrated throughout the programme, highlighting artistic practices as forms of knowledge production within citizen and community science. Artists and makers working with Do-It-Yourself (DIY) and Do-It-With-Others (DIWO) approaches will contribute hands-on activities that encourage participant engagement. Artists include Oulu-based sound poet Antye Greie, Oslo-based eco-feminist artist, Kirsty Kross, and Finnish visual artists Riikka Keränen and Kimmo Ylönen.

The main scientific programme runs from Tuesday 3 March to Friday 6 March 2026. On Friday afternoon, the conference will culminate in Finland’s first Citizen Science Festival, held at Valkea shopping centre in central Oulu, held from 17:00-20:00. The festival will engage the public—families, schools, children, retirees—through hands-on science activities and citizen science project showcases from Oulu, Finland, and across Europe.

Conference participation requires registration. Additional events and excursions have separate registration links on the conference website.

Bachelor’s and master’s students, as well as PhD researchers and volunteers from beyond the university, will actively contribute to the organisation of ECSA 2026, making it a truly co-constructed event!

ECSA 2026 promises to support University of Oulu’s Northern Handprint Strategy in creating unique opportunities to network, collaborate, and explore cutting-edge citizen science research and practice at the heart of European knowledge creation.