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It had been announced in June 2024 that INCREASE is the winner of the EU Prize for Citizen Science 2024. During the Ars Electronica Festival that took place in Linz, Austria from 4th – 8th of September, the INCREASE team has now had the great honour and pleasure to officially receive the highly anticipated prize.
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The Ars Electronica Festival, held annually, stands as an international event where science, technology, art, and ecology converge. This year's festival, themed "HOPE: Who Will Turn the Tide?", invited people from around the world to engage in interactive experiences and explore innovative ideas. On 5th of September 2024, at the Design Center Linz, the festival's prestigious award ceremony took place, where 13 esteemed prizes were presented, including the EU Prize for Citizen Science.
The EU Prize for Citizens Science rewards “outstanding citizen science initiatives that enact change, expand knowledge, and address social, political, cultural, and environmental challenges through the involvement of citizens” (European Commission).
Over the last four years, the INCREASE project has been incredibly successful in engaging citizens in its Citizen Science Experiment, one of the central pillars of its research. The project aims to foster agrobiodiversity by inviting European citizens to actively conserve and characterise diverse bean varieties through a specially designed app. The dedication and engagement of people across Europe has been overwhelming with more than 16,000 dedicated citizens participating since its inception. And the journey continues.
Through the EU Prize for Citizen Science INCREASE has been acknowledged for its outstanding achievements in advancing knowledge on seed preservation through the empowerment of civil society and citizens, in particular from rural areas.
While the project promotes agrobiodiversity and raises awareness of nutrition and environmental sustainability issues, the INCREASE Coordiantor Prof. Roberto Papa highlights also its social impact: “The INCREASE Citizen Science Experiment receives a high interest from different groups such as schools and urban gardening communities and we are incredibly happy to see how our project is uniting people around a common cause”.
INCREASE was represented at the Ars Electronica festival with an interactive exhibition. The visitors were invited to characterise beans, giving them a chance to get a taste of participating in the Citizen Science Experiment. Registration for the next round of the experiment will open in November.
More information on the project and the experiment can be accessed on the INCREASE website and through explanatory videos . Further updates and news are available via the INCREASE social media channels: