Engagement

Get involved by sharing your ideas, experiences, and curiosity! Science Comes to Town invites you to participate in different ways.

• Co-Creation 
  • Collaborating from the start in Co-Creation, where you actively shape projects and develop solutions together with researchers.
• Joint Citizen 
  • Science Engaging in Joint Citizen Science, where you explore, observe, experiment, and contribute your insights to real research.
• Science Battle
  • Testing your creativity and teamwork in the Science Battle.

Each format offers a unique way to connect science with everyday life and make a tangible difference in your community. 

By participating, you don’t just observe science: you become part of it. Your ideas, experiences, and local knowledge help develop practical solutions, generate meaningful insights, and create projects that are relevant, impactful, and scientifically grounded. 

Engagement is open to everyone, regardless of age, background, or expertise. Whether you join alone, with friends, your family, school class, or club, your perspective matters. Together, we can make science more open, accessible, and relevant. Turning curiosity into action and ideas into change in neighborhoods, schools, clubs, and cities.

What does Co-Creation mean?

Co-Creation means “creating together.” Citizens, scientists, local authorities, and organizations collaborate as equals, each bringing their own perspective. Scientists provide expertise, citizens contribute everyday experiences, and organizations know the practical conditions. 

Unlike traditional participation where citizens usually comment at the end, Co-Creation starts at the very beginning, shaping which topics are important. Together, participants develop ideas, ask questions, find answers, and implement solutions. The result: projects that are relevant, practical, and scientifically grounded.

Co-Creation is open to everyone, regardless of age, background, or expertise. It’s about actively shaping outcomes, combining perspectives, and creating solutions that make a real difference: in neighborhoods, schools, clubs, or entire cities. 

Co-Creation is therefore more than just a participation process. It is a driver for innovation, lived democracy, and concrete changes in people’s living environments.

Visit the local Co-Creation websites to join the movement!

Co-Creation at Science Comes to Town

The Co-Creation Project is part of the EU initiative Science Comes to Town. In Kiel, Brest, and Split, citizens are invited to develop their own research projects on topics that matter to them in their daily lives. It’s not about complicated lab experiments, but about practical projects that connect science with local everyday life.

Selected projects receive:

• Prize money (up to €1,000 per project)
• Guidance from scientists who act as advisory partners
• Public visibility through project communications

Our goal: Make science tangible and relevant, turn citizens into researchers, and create knowledge that directly benefits cities.

What is Citizen Science?

Citizen science means involving citizens in scientific research — working together to create new knowledge and drive science forward.

Across fields such as the environment, education, health, and the humanities and social sciences, an ever-growing number of initiatives are bringing researchers and citizens together in a shared process of knowledge creation. This engagement can take many forms — from developing research projects and collecting or analysing data to sharing and publishing the results.

Citizen science projects help to:

• Expand scientific knowledge,
• Address local challenges and create societal impact,
• Strengthen people's skills and understanding to empower their actions,
• Deepen the connection between research and political or societal decision-making,
• Encourage dialogue and build public trust in science.
  
  

Identifying, assessing and supporting Citizen Science projects in Brest, Kiel and Split

As part of Science Comes to Town, Brest, Kiel, and Split are working together to identify and analyse citizen science projects in their cities and beyond.

Citizen science covers a wide range of methods, approaches, and goals. Because of this diversity, such projects can sometimes be difficult to recognise, compare, or share across regions. The Science Comes to Town study aims to change that — by creating a common understanding and evaluation framework for these initiatives, promoting citizen engagement, and supporting the spread of such projects throughout Europe.

In short, by 2026 Science Comes to Town aims to:
📚 Produce a comprehensive overview and assessment of citizen science projects in Brest, Kiel, and Split.
✨ Organise events that highlight existing initiatives and give citizens opportunities to get involved.
🤝 Explore ways to develop a joint citizen science project across the three partner cities.

Are you part of a citizen science project — or leading one yourself? Join the Science Comes to Town inventory!

Whether your project is based in the Brest, Kiel, or Split region, your contribution is highly valued. No matter the topic — environmental, health-related, educational, or in the humanities and social sciences — and regardless of how citizens are involved, your insights matter to us.

By taking part in this study, you'll help advance citizen science and gain greater visibility for your project across Europe.

 

Contact:
Brest: sciencecomestotown@oceanopolis.com
Kiel: sctt@kielregion.de
Split: scttsplit@gmail.com

Register for a science competition and travel to Kiel (Germany) for the European Grand Finale!

Overview

As part of the European project Science Comes To Town, Brest, Kiel and Split invites citizens to take part in a scientific competition. Twelve teams will compete in three game-based challenges. The winning teams from Brest, Kiel and Split will travel to Kiel in June for the grand final.

The competition in the tree cities will take place in two main stages:

• Stage 1 in April:
  • Quiz
  • Escape game and experiments
• Stage 2 in May:
  • Construction challenges and idea debates

Each challenge will be supervised by scientists, and the number of teams selected for the next stage will be reduced by half.

Objectives

This scientific competition aims to show how science addresses local and concrete challenges, while encouraging citizens to express their scientific knowledge by working on a variety of themes.

This format promotes curiosity, creativity, teamwork, and open discussion, creating an inclusive space where science becomes accessible to a wide audience.

The event combines different types of challenges, transforming science communication into an engaging public experience. Participants are invited to take an active role, collaborate as a team, and exchange viewpoints with researchers on topics ranging from sustainability and health to engineering, cultural heritage, and marine sciences.

Who can apply?

Applications are open to all residents of the tree cities. Teams must consist of five people aged over 14, on adult and at least one team member must speak English.

No prior scientific or university experience is required.

Special attention will be given to teams that demonstrate diversity (age, gender, profession, etc.).

Commitments

The ten selected teams per cities commit to participating in both stages of the competition and to traveling to Kiel in the event of a win.

Application deadline

Applications are open until Friday, March 20 (inclusive).

How to apply

Please submit your application using one of the following methods depending on your city of application. If you are underage, please complete the parental consent form and attach it to your application.

Visit the local websites to join the competition!