Nataša Dakić
ORCID 0009-0000-8560-5284
dakic@unilib.rs

doi: 10.5937/cit2547022D
No. 47 (November 2025), str. 22-35

Citizen-Enhanced Open Science in the Balkans:
Lessons of CeOS_SE the case of Serbia

Abstract

Citizen Science (CS) is increasingly recognised as an essential pillar within the Open Science (OS) ecosystem, enabling citizen participation in research while enhancing transparency, accountability and public trust in science. The European Open Science Cloud (EOSC) and UNESCO’s Recommendation on Open Science position see CS as central to democratising knowledge and advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, implementing CS frameworks in the Western Balkans faces region-specific challenges, including underdeveloped infrastructure, capacity gaps, and socio-cultural barriers shaped by the region’s post-socialist history. The Citizen-Enhanced Open Science in Southeastern Europe Higher Education Knowledge Hubs (CeOS_SE) project (2022–2024), financed under Erasmus+, aimed to bridge these gaps by fostering CS practices in the Western Balkans, focusing on the role of libraries and higher education institutions (HEIs) as facilitators of participatory research. The project prioritised capacity-building, policy alignment, and institutional integration of CS practices within OS frameworks. This paper relies on the findings from the Roadmap on CeOS in the Balkans, focusing on Section 5.5.3 (Survey Analysis: Citizen Science), enriched with an analysis of global and regional CS frameworks and policies. Special emphasis is placed on Serbia’s pioneering initiatives, including the first accredited CS training for librarians, which operationalizes the vision of libraries as community hubs for citizen science. By examining survey data and local practices, this paper offers actionable insights for policymakers, librarians, researchers, and regional stakeholders seeking to embed CS within OS ecosystems sustainably. Findings reveal high interest in CS across the Western Balkans but highlight the need for structured training, stable funding, and alignment with European frameworks to overcome implementation barriers. The paper concludes with recommendations for sustaining CS practices post-CeOS_SE, including policy integration, funding mechanisms, and regional collaboration, to advance participatory, inclusive, and Open Science in the Western Balkans.

Keywords:

Citizen Science, Open Science, Western Balkans, Serbia, Libraries, Community Engagement, Policy, CeOS_SE, EOSC, Librarian Trainings

Submitted: 28th August 2025.
Correction to the manuscript: 20th September 2025.
Accepted for publication: 16th Oktober 2025.

Citizen-Enhanced Open Science in the Balkans: Lessons of CeOS_SE the case of Serbia by Nataša Dakić is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

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