With the new year comes a bittersweet moment for the IMPETUS team, as we enter the final phase of the third and final IMPETUS accelerator. Over the past seven months, we have provided funding, support, and mentoring to 48 new and ongoing citizen science projects aligned with the themes of Circular Communities and Fair and Just Societies. We are now working closely with each Citizen Science Initiative (CSI) and mentor to understand the impact of their work and explore how this momentum can support their continued development beyond the accelerator.
Early insights from this third cohort are already available via our new impact dashboard, developed by the team at T6 Ecosystems. The dashboard highlights who took part, the research areas these initiatives explored, and the activities and outputs generated over the past seven months.
Since 2021, IMPETUS has worked to use its expertise and extended networks to carve out a dedicated space within the citizen science community—one that supports knowledge exchange, growth, and inclusive research practices. While this moment marks the conclusion of both the IMPETUS accelerator and the European Prize for Citizen Science (for now), we are immensely proud to have been part of so many citizen science journeys.
Over the lifetime of the IMPETUS project, we have supported 129 projects through our accelerator programme and distributed more than €2 million in funding, with an additional €300,000 awarded through the European Prize for Citizen Science. The long-term impact and legacy of these projects are a source of real pride for the IMPETUS team, and a powerful reminder of how vital sustained funding and support are for citizen science and inclusive research.
That said, this is not the end of IMPETUS just yet. Over the next six months, we will share behind-the-scenes stories from the project and reflect on the lessons learned. Through case studies, policy briefs, publications, and the forthcoming IMPETUS Toolkit, we aim to ensure the project continues to have an impact long after its formal conclusion.
Stay tuned for more updates—and thank you to everyone who has supported IMPETUS over the past few years.
You can learn more about the final cohort of the IMPETUS accelerator here:
