Accelerator

The Accelerator is a planned and structured programme that includes training activities, mentoring and financial support for the Citizen Science Initiatives (CSIs) that were selected in the IMPETUS 1st Open Call.
Successful applicants receive €20,000 (for kickstarting projects) or €10,000 (for sustaining projects) to help deliver a six-month citizen science project with the help of the IMPETUS team.
It includes:

• Intensive training at the start of the accelerator on project design, citizen engagement, data management and preservation, impact assessment and sustainability;
• Online mentoring during the pilot on a diverse set of citizen science challenges, including data quality, data preservation, GDPR, research ethics, motivating participation, citizen empowerment, EDI (equality, diversity, inclusion), public engagement, targeted science communication, data journalism, and impact;
• Promotion via news on the IMPETUS website and on social media, as well as presenting opportunities at the IMPETUS conference and other related events;
• Peer learning and networking, facilitated through workshops and online tools.
• Peer-learning and networking, within and between pilot cohorts, through the IMPETUS Aperitives, creating bridges with external communities of interest.

It runs between 15 June and 15 December 2023.

The Bootcamp is an intensive online training at the beginning of the process that  leads to the official start of the Accelerator Programme. It covers a diverse range of topics, like stakeholders’ engagement, data management, impact assessment, sustainability and communications. It aims to get all CSIs together and establish a common ground.

The selected CSIis will be published here on 16 June, after finalising the formalities involved in the signature of the contracts.

The Mentor Panel consists of 18 experts that will work together with the CSIs mentees throughout the six months to support and guide them to develop their project properly.  This implies one-to-one regular sessions and advice on thematic matters related to each CSI.

Meet our mentors!

The Accelerator Training Sessions consist of 5 training courses of 1.5 hours each that will cover the needs expressed by the CSIs through a consultation process. These sessions will be diverse and might cover topics such as storytelling, addressing industry or translating data into actionable plans.

The Accelerator Aperitives are peer-learning and networking sessions of 1,5 hours each with the wider CS community. We will run 2 Aperitives during the programme.

Impact assessment is a key aspect of ensuring progress, validation of our methods and approaches, and to prove evidence. Therefore, we are developing a scheme that will be timely shared here.