Objectif Sciences International

Do you have an activity, a field site, expertise or a scientific question? Let's transform them together into a Participatory Science programme.

Thomas EGLI — 2026-08-11T16:38:39Z

Objectif Sciences International can build partnerships with NGOs, associations, universities, laboratories, companies, local authorities, travel agencies, foundations, educational institutions, field operators, public institutions, international organizations, professional networks, or independent project leaders who wish to directly involve citizens in a genuine research process.

Sommaire

It is not necessary to arrive with a fully designed program.

You can contact us with:

a scientific question;
a subject you would like to document;
an existing field activity;
a destination or territory in which you work;
a network of researchers, citizens or local stakeholders;
a trip, expedition or educational program you would like to develop further;
a method or technology to test;
an issue faced by a population or territory;
data that need to be produced;
a scientific project seeking a participatory model;
or simply an idea whose feasibility you would like to test.

Our guiding principle: enable people who are not necessarily researchers to progressively become capable of making a genuine contribution to the production of knowledge, the experimentation of a solution or the implementation of an action documented scientifically.

What do we mean by “participatory research Participatory Research see : http://www.voyages-scientifiques.com ”?

A participatory scientific activity does not simply consist of presenting science, explaining a phenomenon, visiting a laboratory or accompanying a scientist in the field.

At Objectif Sciences International, we organize our work to create an experiential journey in which participants progressively become active contributors to a project that produces results.

Depending on the program, they may, for example:

learn to observe and recognize a phenomenon;
formulate or understand a research question;
learn a protocol;
carry out observations or measurements;
collect data;
contribute to improving a method;
build or use instruments;
interview residents or professionals;
analyze results;
compare several hypotheses;
participate in an experiment;
document the effects of a solution;
contribute to a database;
participate in restoration, remediation or conservation operations;
present their results;
contribute, depending on the project, to a scientific publication or to recommendations intended for decision-makers.

Participation can therefore involve physical, natural, engineering and experimental sciences as well as the humanities and social sciences.

It can take place within fundamental research, applied research, an innovation process, environmental monitoring, a social experiment or the documented implementation of a solution.

We can start from an activity you already carry out

You do not necessarily need to invent a new program.

A large part of our work may consist of examining what you already do and identifying how to add a genuine participatory research Participatory Research see : http://www.voyages-scientifiques.com dimension to it.

Example – A biodiversity conservation association

An association already organizes outings that allow participants to observe an endangered species in a mountainous region.

Instead of creating an entirely new activity, we can work together so that some outings progressively contribute to a scientific protocol: identifying signs of presence, geolocating observations, characterizing habitat, photographic monitoring, standardized surveys and data transmission.

The association retains its local and naturalist expertise.

Scientific partners guarantee the relevance of the question and the protocol.

OSI contributes, in particular, its experience in participatory research, educational progression and the organization of programs that enable non-specialists to become genuine contributors.

We can also start from a research question

Are you a researcher, laboratory or university with a question requiring a large number of observations, field sites, measurements or human interactions?

We can study with you which parts of the protocol can be opened to participants.

Example – A university laboratory

A team is studying the evolution of a coastal ecosystem and does not have enough staff to repeat certain observations on a large scale.

A participatory program can enable different groups to return several times a year, acquire the necessary skills and produce part of the observations under the supervision of a scientific protocol.

The trip is then no longer simply a visit to the territory: it becomes one of the means of producing the data required for the research.

Are you an NGO or an association?

Your organization may already possess what is most difficult to create:

a local presence;
expertise;
a community;
scientific partners;
a relationship of trust with residents;
a field of action;
several years of data or experience.

We can examine how these resources can become the basis of a viable and replicable participatory program.

The partnership may focus in particular on:

choosing the scientific question;
designing the participatory format;
educational progression;
choosing target audiences;
designing trips or expeditions;
tools for preparing operations;
allocating responsibilities;
the cost structure;
recruiting and training teams;
program visibility;
seeking additional funding;
progressively developing the program over several years.

Are you a university, laboratory or researcher?

You can use a partnership with OSI to develop the participatory component of existing research or to bring about a new program.

Depending on the situation, OSI can help build the bridge between:

researchers + field operators + participants + educational organizations + local partners + funders.

Example – A team working in the social sciences

Researchers want to understand how rural communities adapt their practices to rapid environmental changes.

Participants can be trained in a survey method, contribute to a campaign of interviews and observations, document certain practices and participate in the initial stages of structuring the data.

Participatory research is therefore not limited to naturalist inventories or physical measurements.

Are you a company?

A company may have a technology, know-how, a territorial network or an issue whose study may be of scientific and collective interest.

A partnership is not intended to turn a commercial operation into pseudo-research.

However, we can work with you to identify a genuine question of scientific or societal interest around which a participatory approach is relevant.

This may concern, for example:

water quality;
biodiversity;
soils;
agriculture;
energy;
materials;
uses;
mobility;
ergonomics;
collective intelligence;
behaviors;
climate adaptation;
reducing environmental impacts;
the design or evaluation of solutions.

Example – A technology company

A company is developing a low-cost environmental sensor.

A program designed with researchers and OSI can enable several groups of participants to compare measurements from the sensor with reference methods in different contexts.

Participants are not used merely as testers: they understand the question, learn the protocol, produce data and contribute to analyzing the limitations of the tool.

Are you a local authority, a territory or a public service?

Citizens can become producers of knowledge that is useful to their own territory.

A municipality, region, river basin agency, natural park or other public stakeholder may, for example, wish to better document:

a watercourse;
heat islands;
biodiversity;
soils;
erosion;
air quality;
landscapes;
uses of an area;
mobility;
certain effects of climate change;
or the effectiveness of a public action.

Example – A watershed

Several municipalities want to monitor more closely the evolution of small tributaries for which professional measurements are infrequent.

Residents, school pupils, students and visitors can learn different levels of protocols.

Participatory data do not necessarily replace regulatory measurements: they can provide complementary observation frequency, territorial coverage and alert capacity.

Are you a travel agency, tour operator, accommodation provider or tourism operator?

You already have a capacity that many scientific projects do not have: bringing people to a field site and giving them an experience.

We can examine how some of your trips can become participatory research journeys.

This requires more than adding a scientific lecture to a tour.

The objective is to build a program in which participants progressively become capable of taking action.

Example – A nature travel operator

An operator has been offering wildlife observation trips for several years.

The trip can retain much of its itinerary while incorporating a scientific thread throughout: defining observation stations, applying a reproducible protocol, collecting data, comparing observations, conducting daily analyses and transmitting results to a partner scientific team.

The enjoyment of the journey remains.

But the journey now also produces something that did not exist before it.

Are you a school, university or educational network?

A school trip can become a genuine research project.

A class can contribute before, during and after the trip.

Preparation beforehand makes it possible to acquire the necessary knowledge and methods.

The fieldwork becomes the production phase.

The return phase allows for analysis, presentation of results and, where appropriate, continuation of the program.

Example – A network of educational institutions

Several schools located in different countries study the same ecological indicator near their institution.

Students apply a common protocol, compare results between territories and monitor their evolution over the years.

Each institution carries out a local project while contributing to much broader collective research.

Are you a foundation, philanthropist or patron?

You can also contact us not because you already have a project, but because you would like to make it possible for a particular audience to participate in research.

For example:

fund the participation of young people who could not otherwise afford it;
enable girls and young women to access scientific programs;
fund shared scientific equipment;
fund a reconnaissance phase;
fund the creation of a new protocol;
enable a program to begin in a new territory;
fund several years of observations;
support the training of local stakeholders;
enable a proven project to scale up.

Funding can therefore directly contribute to increasing the quantity and quality of participatory research produced.

Are you an international organization or a public agency?

A resolution, international strategy or public objective rarely produces effects simply because it has been adopted.

It then requires stakeholders, territories, data and implementation capacity.

A participatory research program can become a means of connecting an international direction with thousands of documented local actions.

Example – An international recommendation

An international organization wants to accelerate the adoption of an environmental practice in several countries.

A participatory program can enable communities, schools, NGOs and researchers to test different implementation methods, document their results and progressively feed back comparable data.

Participatory research then also becomes a tool for moving from recommendation to action.

Are you an individual project leader?

You do not need to have already created a large organization.

A researcher, naturalist, engineer, science communicator, explorer, teacher, professional or group of people can initiate a program.

Depending on the project, it will then be necessary to determine which partners are needed:

scientific organization;
local operator;
legal entity;
educational team;
funder;
accommodation;
transport;
public institution;
company;
university;
or another member of a consortium.

We can work specifically on this architecture.

Do you only have an exceptional field site? That may be enough to get started.

A nature reserve, farm, forest, observatory, island, fab lab, scientific station, museum, archaeological site, village or territory can host research questions that no one had yet considered.

We can start from the resources available:

What is here? What is changing? What deserves to be measured? Which researchers might be interested? What could participants actually do?

The program can then emerge from this analysis.

Do you already have participants but no research yet?

This is also a possible starting point.

An organization may already welcome each year:

travelers;
students;
families;
school groups;
volunteers;
employees;
residents;
members of a network.

The question then becomes:

what new scientific production could be made possible thanks to this existing human capacity?

Do you have the research but not yet the audience?

We can work in the other direction.

A scientific question may be excellent while remaining difficult to turn into an accessible experience.

It is then necessary to identify:

what participants can actually do;
what they must learn before they can do it;
how much time this progression requires;
which tasks must remain reserved for specialists;
how to organize the experience so that it remains motivating;
what group size is appropriate;
which audiences are suitable;
which operations can be repeated.

The partnership can begin well before the first “real” research

Some projects require several years before reaching their definitive protocol.

This is not necessarily a problem.

The preparatory stages can themselves become useful when they are properly designed and documented.

For example:

survey different sites;
compare several field sites;
establish a baseline;
carry out initial inventories;
build a photographic database;
identify local partners;
test methods;
test equipment;
document access conditions;
establish an initial map;
identify relevant questions with local populations;
create the first datasets.

A participatory program can therefore tell and document a scientific journey over several years rather than claiming to have all the answers and all the protocols from the very first day.

A project can combine several scientific disciplines

There is no need to choose between natural sciences and human sciences.

The same program can, for example, combine:

ecology;
agronomy;
geography;
hydrology;
climatology;
economics;
anthropology;
sociology;
psychology;
education sciences;
engineering;
computer science;
data science.

Example – Agriculture and biodiversity

A program focused on the transformation of an agricultural landscape can combine biodiversity inventories, soil measurements, mapping, the study of agricultural practices and surveys of residents.

Participants then contribute to several layers of a shared understanding of the territory.

Several audiences can participate in the same program

The same research question can give rise to several formats:

expedition for adults;
family trip;
school program;
student internship;
program for professionals;
local operation involving residents;
science camp;
trip for teenagers;
mission dedicated to a group funded by a foundation;
scientific volunteering program;
one-off data collection event;
recurring program over several years.

Protocols, responsibilities, supervision and levels of progression are adapted to the audience concerned.

Welcoming minors, particularly when they are not accompanied by their legal guardians, naturally requires specific organization and responsibilities.

Who does what? There is no single partnership model.

OSI does not necessarily ask its partners to transfer all of their activities to it.

We build an allocation of roles tailored to each project.

Depending on the situation:

the scientific partner defines or co-defines the protocol;
a local partner organizes the field operations;
OSI leads the participatory research format;
a tour operator manages part of the travel;
several partners promote the program;
OSI or a partner manages registrations;
an organization hosts participants on site;
a university carries out the scientific analysis;
a foundation funds certain participants;
a company funds equipment;
a local authority facilitates access to the territory;
several organizations jointly handle communication.

The preliminary work consists precisely of determining:

who does what, who bears which responsibility, who incurs which expenses, who receives which revenues and who has which resources.

Registrations can be distributed among several partners

A program can be promoted by several stakeholders.

Depending on the chosen structure, OSI, an association partner, a tourism operator or another organization may participate in finding participants and managing registrations.

The allocation is defined on a case-by-case basis within the operational and economic architecture of the project.

The objective is to avoid an abstract partnership.

Each function must have an identified person or organization responsible for it.

Together, we build the economic structure of the operation

A sustainable program must know precisely the cost of each session.

Possible cost items include:

accommodation;
food;
transport;
supervision;
scientists;
coordination;
insurance;
premises;
equipment;
consumables;
logistics;
communication;
registration fees;
administrative costs;
investments required to develop the program.

The objective is to achieve a model in which running a new session does not financially weaken the program.

Registrations do not necessarily have to fund everything

A participatory research program generally involves several interconnected economic models.

1. The economics of the operation

Registrations or funding directly linked to participants make it possible to cover the cost of running the trip or session.

2. The economics of development

Launching a new territory, purchasing major equipment, creating a protocol or making certain investments may require additional resources.

3. The economics of impact

A foundation, company, local authority or public funder may wish to fund certain audiences, an increase in the number of actions, infrastructure or the scaling up of the program.

These three dimensions can be built together without artificially placing all development costs on the price paid by each participant.

We can seek several forms of funding

Depending on the nature of the project, additional resources may come in particular from:

public grants;
calls for projects;
philanthropy;
foundations;
patronage;
sponsorship;
CSR policies;
crowdfunding;
individual donations;
industrial partnerships;
territorial funding;
research funding;
educational funding;
funding for specific audiences;
impact finance when the project and its model are suited to it.

Funding is not, however, a separate stage from project design.

A project becomes easier to fund when it can explain precisely what each additional euro will make it possible to produce.

An initial reconnaissance mission can itself become an operation

Have you never worked in the proposed field location before?

That does not necessarily prevent you from beginning to build the program.

A reconnaissance mission can, in some cases, be organized with a very small group of experienced participants or partners.

Example – First exploration of a new territory

A team wants to create a program in a territory it does not yet know well enough.

A first small mission can be used to test travel arrangements, accommodation, several study areas, equipment, local contacts and certain preliminary observations.

The operation is explicitly presented as an exploratory phase.

It produces the information needed to design the next program instead of waiting for all this information to exist before getting started.

It is not always necessary to wait until everything is known before presenting the project

Developing a program takes time.

It may therefore be appropriate to publish sufficiently early a description presenting:

the subject;
the territory;
the general question;
the type of research;
the proposed experience;
the audiences concerned;
the main stages envisaged.

Elements that are still under development simply need to be presented as such.

The description can then be enriched as reconnaissance work progresses, new scientific partnerships are formed and the protocol advances.

Each new stage then also becomes an opportunity to tell the story of the project's progress.

We can help you choose the right participatory research question

This is often one of the most important stages.

An organization sometimes arrives with a very broad field:

“biodiversity”, “water”, “forest”, “climate”, “education”, “agriculture”, “health”, “astronomy”...

But a participatory program needs a sufficiently precise question in order to produce something real.

We can examine with you:

what is already being studied;
the scientific partners available;
the needs of the territory;
questions that are still poorly documented;
protocols accessible to different audiences;
the potential value of the data;
possibilities for repetition over time;
possibilities for replication in other territories;
public policies or international programs to which the project can contribute.

The challenge is not to create an additional scientific activity when a highly effective system already exists.

It may be far more useful to identify the angle that is still missing and that will make your project genuinely useful.

Your project can start locally and become international

Some programs begin in a single territory.

Once the protocol has been stabilized, it may become possible to reproduce it in:

several regions;
several watersheds;
several schools;
several reserves;
several countries;
several communities;
or an entire international network.

Fictional example – A first site becomes a distributed observatory

A monitoring protocol tested for two years in one valley works correctly.

The program is then offered to five comparable territories.

Participants produce the same categories of data.

The project progressively ceases to be a simple local activity and becomes a distributed knowledge infrastructure.

Your project can also join a broader ecosystem

Depending on the nature and maturity of the program, partners can also connect with different spaces and tools developed around Objectif Sciences International.

These make it possible, in particular, to work on:

program design and improvement;
team training;
educational methods;
economic models;
partnerships;
funding;
public visibility;
international cooperation;
scaling up projects.

Depending on needs and schedules, this may include collective preparation sessions, training courses, meetings between operators, Terra Scientifica, the Geneva Forum or other initiatives associated with the OSI ecosystem.

What we look for above all in a partner

We do not necessarily look for an organization that already has substantial resources.

Above all, we look for partners who bring at least one of the building blocks needed to create something solid:

a relevant question;
scientific expertise;
a field site;
a real issue;
a local network;
operational capacity;
an audience;
a technology;
data;
a method;
funding capacity;
dissemination capacity;
a long-term vision.

OSI can provide some building blocks. Other partners will provide others. The final project is often a collective architecture.

You can contact us at any stage of your project

You only have an idea so far

We can examine whether it can become a participatory research question.

You already have a scientific question

We can study what participants can actually produce.

You already have a field site

We can explore what research could be carried out there.

You already have a trip or activity

We can study how to transform it into a participatory research experience.

You already have the project but not its economic model

We can work on roles, costs, revenues and additional funding.

You already have a program that works

We can think with you about replicating it or scaling it up.

You are a funder

We can work with you on the type of participatory infrastructure or program that your funding could make possible.

How does a collaboration begin?

There is no need to prepare a fifty-page proposal. Contact us (email, telephone, LinkedIn, by coming to meet us at the Geneva Forum...).

For an initial discussion, a few pieces of information are enough:

Who are you?
What is your subject?
What resources do you already have?
In which territory or with which audience would you like to act?
What new output would you like to produce?
What are you currently missing in order to achieve this?

Based on these elements, we can determine whether cooperation with Objectif Sciences International makes sense and identify the first building blocks of the partnership.

What we will examine with you

During the initial discussions, we will seek in particular to understand:

the scientific value of the project;
its value for participants;
its value for the territory or society;
the genuine contribution that non-specialists can make;
the progression required for them to be able to make that contribution;
the essential partners;
logistical feasibility;
everyone's responsibilities;
the timeline;
the economic structure;
funding opportunities;
possibilities for replication;
and what makes the project complementary rather than redundant with what already exists.

Some situations in which you should contact us

“We are an NGO and have been present in a territory for twenty years, but we have never opened our work to participants.”

This is precisely a situation in which a partnership may be possible.

“We are researchers and would need thousands of observations spread over several years.”

Let us examine which parts of the protocol can become participatory.

“We are a travel agency and would like some of our trips to produce something scientifically useful.”

We can work on transforming the experience.

“We are a company and would like to fund a participatory program around an issue related to our field of activity.”

We can work with you to identify a scientifically relevant issue and an appropriate partnership structure.

“We are a municipality and want to enable residents to better understand and monitor their environment.”

A participatory observatory may be one possible response.

“We have an extraordinary research idea, but no economic model.”

Building the economic model can be part of the work.

“We do not yet have the money for the first mission.”

It may be appropriate to examine at the same time the reconnaissance phase, the future program, funding and the first communities likely to contribute to getting it started.

“Our project will not be able to produce genuine scientific results for another three years.”

That does not necessarily prevent the first documented stages from becoming a coherent part of the research journey.

What if your situation does not match any of these examples?

That is probably normal.

The most interesting partnerships often begin with a combination we have never encountered before.

Objectif Sciences International works at the interface between:

Science — Participation — Education — Fieldwork — Experience — Organizations — Territories — Funding — Impact.

You therefore do not need to know in advance which “box” you fit into.

Tell us what you know how to do, what you already have, what you are seeking to accomplish and what is currently holding you back.

Together, we will examine whether these elements can become the building blocks of a participatory research program.

Propose a partnership to Objectif Sciences International

To facilitate the initial discussion, you can send us:

the name of your organization;
your activity;
the territory concerned;
the scientific field or fields;
the partners you already have;
the audiences potentially concerned;
the idea or research question being considered;
the resources already available;
the current stage of the project;
and the main difficulties you would like to resolve.

Contact us to propose a Research project

Contact us to propose becoming a field organizer, for any type of partnership

You can contact us even if several of these pieces of information are still unknown. The design phase is precisely intended to identify them.

Fundraising Participatory Science for Impact

Thomas EGLI — 2026-08-07T12:37:10Z

This page notably includes a discussion forum for professionals.
It is recommended to return to it regularly in order to benefit from the discussions, information and updates published there.
In particular, you will find: current offers and opportunities; projects currently open for funding; OSI's needs and priorities; opportunities for partnership, donation or investment; discussions and feedback from the (...)

- Communities of Practice / restricted_access, form_account_creation

Training for responsibility through Participatory Science: the educational approach of Objectif Sciences International

Thomas EGLI — 2026-07-06T09:14:01Z

A major educational question

As the 2026 high season for the scientific travel programs of the NGO Objectif Sciences International is in full swing, this is an opportunity to acknowledge the incredible work carried out every day by the teams in the field, the result of preparation renewed each year.

And thus to say THANK YOU to the entire team, everywhere in the world.

One of the major challenges of contemporary education lies in a simple but demanding question: how can we train people who are capable of taking action without trapping them in guilt, dependence, or heroic illusion?

On the one hand, ecological, social, health, climate, and democratic crises show that collective systems profoundly shape human situations. Individuals do not choose alone the conditions in which they grow up, learn, work, live, or imagine their future.

On the other hand, reducing every difficulty to an external system can also produce powerlessness. If everything is structure, if everything is collective, if everything is elsewhere, where does the ability to act begin? Where does personal responsibility begin? Where does concrete transformation begin?

Since 1992, the educational approach of Objectif Sciences International has been positioned precisely at this point: neither naive individualism nor abstract collectivism. It is based on a demanding articulation between the person, the group, the project, society, and the living world.

From this perspective, responsibility is not a moral weight placed on the shoulders of the child, young person, or adult. It is a skill that is built. It is the ability to position oneself within a system, to understand what exceeds us, to identify what we contribute to, to act where we have leverage, and to cooperate with others to transform what cannot be transformed alone.

The Educational Charter of Objectif Sciences International gives this approach a concrete framework: participatory research Participatory Research see : http://www.voyages-scientifiques.com , cooperation, quality, ecology, sustainable development, autonomy, empowerment, scientific rigor, non-violent education, respect for the living world, and training through practice.

Sommaire

An epistemology of responsibility

Responsibility can be understood in several ways.

It can be reduced to fault: “Who is responsible?” then means “Who should be punished?” This conception produces fear, withdrawal, or defensiveness.

It can be diluted into the collective: “It's not me, it's the system.” This conception may be fair when it analyzes real power relations, but it becomes insufficient if it prevents each person from recognizing their own share of action.

Finally, it can be understood as a capacity: the capacity to respond, the capacity to discern, the capacity to contribute, the capacity to transform.

It is this third path that best represents OSI's Educational Charter.

Responsibility is not separated from knowledge. To be responsible, one must learn to see. To act rightly, one must learn to understand. To transform, one must learn to distinguish what belongs to oneself, what belongs to the group, what belongs to the environment, what belongs to the system, and what requires broader cooperation.

It is an epistemological approach because it concerns the way we construct our relationship with reality.

A participant learns that their impression is not yet data. That their intuition can become a hypothesis. That their hypothesis must be tested. That the result may contradict them. That contradiction is not humiliation, but an opportunity to move forward. That knowledge is not an opinion stronger than others, but a process.

This inner discipline is the foundation of solid responsibility. It avoids the arrogance of the savior, who believes they know for others. It also avoids the passivity of the person who waits for the collective to decide in their place. It teaches one to say: here is what I observe, here is what I understand, here is what I do not yet know, here is what I can test, here is what I can do with others.

Participatory research Participatory Research see : http://www.voyages-scientifiques.com : learning to act in the real world

Objectif Sciences International has made a structuring choice: to conduct real scientific research projects, carried out by non-scientist participants, enabling research training through research, in the form of stays and trips (holidays, school trips, expeditions, family weekends, etc.).

This means that participants are not merely exposed to scientific content. They are connected to their lived experience, to a living process.

Depending on the stays, ages, levels, and programs, they may take part in naturalist observations, biodiversity monitoring, water sampling, robotics projects, research in paleontology, astronomy, geology, ecology, appropriate technologies, species monitoring, the marine environment, or other fields.

This participation changes everything.

The child or teenager is not simply “kept busy.” They contribute. They do not consume an activity. They take part in an investigation. They do not mechanically repeat a lesson. They discover that the world can be questioned methodically.

Participatory research Participatory Research see : http://www.voyages-scientifiques.com then becomes a school of responsibility, because it requires taking care of the quality of what one does.

Poorly collected data may lose its value. An undocumented observation may become unusable. A poorly followed protocol may prevent comparison. Poorly stored equipment may hinder the next group. A conclusion reached too quickly may mislead.

Scientific rigor thus becomes educational rigor.

It teaches that our actions have consequences. Not in a guilt-inducing logic, but in a logic of contribution. What I do matters. What I neglect also matters. My precision, my patience, my attention, my intellectual honesty, and my ability to acknowledge an error contribute to the quality of the shared project.

Train more in order to control less

One of the most powerful principles of OSI's Educational Charter is formulated as follows: train more in order to control less.

This principle reverses a very widespread logic.

In many educational settings, when fear increases, control increases. There is more supervision. Margins of freedom are reduced. Prohibitions multiply. Mistakes are prevented by preventing initiatives.

OSI proposes another logic: the more participants are trained, the more they can be involved in managing the stay, the project, the group, and the place. Autonomy is not given all at once. It is built, supported, secured, and made possible by a framework.

In the field, this translates into precise pedagogical choices: co-constructed rules of life, daily forums, progressive management of free time, participation in meal organization, room maintenance, cooperative evening activities, presentations by young people, and individual and collective self-assessment.

These gestures may seem ordinary. Yet they are decisive.

Making one's bed, putting away one's equipment, helping clear the table, preparing an outing, checking one's bag, respecting a natural site, listening to another participant, speaking in a forum, contributing to a presentation: these are all micro-experiences of responsibility.

Education for autonomy does not begin with grand speeches. It begins in the repetition of concrete gestures that build confidence in one's own ability to act.

Cooperation as educational infrastructure

Individual responsibility cannot be separated from cooperation.

A person can learn to act alone. But they cannot learn to transform the world sustainably without learning to cooperate.

OSI's Educational Charter places cooperation at the heart of its approach. It situates it within popular education, education for all, and the diversity of languages, cultures, origins, profiles, and abilities.

Cooperation is not merely a pleasant atmosphere. It is educational infrastructure.

It requires tools: forums, brainstorming, co-design of programs, conflict mediation, non-violent education, organization of roles, reviews, and evaluations. It requires a culture: tolerance, a sense of service, mutual aid, listening, complementarity of profiles, and constructive antagonisms. It also requires a purpose: enabling each person to become more capable.

This cooperation is particularly important in Participatory Science.

No field research depends solely on one individual. Observations must be distributed, perspectives crossed, documentation produced, comparisons made, rereading carried out, discussions held, hypotheses confronted, errors integrated, and results shared.

Participants thus discover that the collective is not an abstraction. It is a reality made up of behaviors, decisions, words, silences, efforts, misunderstandings, adjustments, and contributions.

Transforming the collective therefore requires transforming the way each person takes part in it.

Quality: taking care of the project, the group, and oneself

In OSI's Educational Charter, quality is not limited to scientific quality. It concerns the entire experience.

Quality means the rigor of the scientific project. But it also means quality of life, health, food, sleep, free time, the relationship with the group, the capacity for discernment, respect for rhythms, training of supervisors, and annual evaluation of practices.

This point is essential because it links responsibility to care.

Being responsible does not only mean producing more. It does not mean exhausting oneself to prove one's worth. It does not mean sacrificing oneself for a project. It means learning to contribute sustainably.

Care for oneself, the group, and the project are connected.

A participant who is tired, poorly fed, isolated, or stressed does not learn in the same way. A group without clear rules does not cooperate sustainably. A project without methodological quality does not produce reliable knowledge. Ecology without daily attention becomes a disconnected discourse.

OSI therefore articulates responsibility with health, balance, quality of life, and progression. It is embodied responsibility, not abstract responsibility.

Ecology and sustainable development: moving beyond educational anthropocentrism

OSI's Educational Charter explicitly links science to ecology, sustainable development (or even sustainable evolution), peace education, and the rights of nature.

This perspective gives a particular depth to education for responsibility.

It is not simply a matter of learning to “protect nature,” as if humans were outside the living world. It is about learning to position oneself differently within the ecosystemic circle.

Humans are not the center of an anthropocentric system. They are stakeholders. Their actions, needs, tools, waste, consumption, knowledge, and ignorance have effects.

OSI stays make this tangible.

Respect for a bivouac site, attention paid to an animal, understanding of a habitat, the value given to each object, the fight against waste, the choice of food that is at once good, ecological, balanced, and suited to the activities: all of this forms a lived ecology.

Environmental education then becomes more than awareness-raising. It becomes a way of perceiving, inhabiting, and acting.

The notion of “Being Nature,” present in OSI's pedagogical projects, expresses this ambition: learning to make peace with nature, to recognize the intrinsic value of the non-human, and to integrate points of view other than the human point of view alone into scientific and technical issues.

Not creating saviors: training contributors

A major contemporary challenge is to avoid placing an impossible mission on the shoulders of young people: saving the world.

The intention may seem noble, but it can produce anxiety, guilt, moral fatigue, or a heroic posture. The young person feels either crushed by the scale of the crises or invested with a disproportionate mission.

OSI's approach makes it possible to formulate something else.

It is not about creating saviors. It is about training competent, lucid, and cooperative contributors.

A contributor does not need to solve everything alone. They need to understand where they stand, what they can learn, what they can do, with whom they can act, how they can progress, and how their contribution fits into a broader chain.

This posture is healthier, but it is also more robust.

It teaches that sustainable commitment does not come from the illusion of omnipotence, but from the ability to hold one's place in a shared undertaking.

Not creating dependencies: training for the ability to act

The other educational risk is symmetrical: creating people who expect everything from the framework, the adult, the institution, or the activity.

In this case, the participant remains a consumer. They wait for others to organize for them, decide for them, solve things for them, and provide meaning for them.

OSI's Educational Charter seeks, on the contrary, to gradually move participants from “receiving an activity” to “taking part in an action.”

This progression is visible in the formula: leaving behind “providing an activity” in order to move toward “letting do,” through “having them do” and “doing with.”

It is a pedagogy of transition.

At the beginning, the adult (and, for trips with adult participants, the supervisor) secures, explains, demonstrates, and supports. Then they do things with the participant. Then they have the participant do them. Then they let the participant do more as they become capable. This autonomy remains framed, but it becomes real.

The purpose is clear: to support people toward the capacity to become actors in their own lives.

Summer as a privileged moment of transformation

Summer scientific stays and trips offer a particularly favorable framework for this transformation.

Time is different there. Participants step out of their routines. They discover a place, a group, a rhythm, and a mission. They share meals, observations, efforts, evening activities, successes, and unexpected events. They experience a rare relational and experiential density.

This intensity enables learning that school, family, or weekly activities cannot always offer in the same way.

A child may discover that they are capable of speaking up. A teenager may discover that they enjoy the rigor of a protocol. Another may understand that they have a valuable role in a group. A female participant may feel legitimate in science. A young person may experience surpassing themselves. An adult may rediscover their capacity to learn, to marvel, and to contribute.

These transformations cannot be decreed. They emerge from well-designed situations.

This is the whole purpose of an educational charter: to ensure that the experience is not only enjoyable or spectacular, but truly formative.

An education to help reality progress

Objectif Sciences International upholds a demanding conception of science education.

It does not separate science from everyday life. It does not separate knowledge from responsibility. It does not separate autonomy from cooperation. It does not separate ecology from relational quality. It does not separate the individual project from the collective project.

Training for research through research means training people who are capable of questioning the world with rigor.

Training for cooperation through cooperation means training people who are capable of acting with others.

Training for responsibility through the concrete exercise of responsibilities means training people who are capable of recognizing their share without denying what exceeds them.

This is perhaps one of the most valuable contributions of OSI's scientific stays and trips: showing that holidays for children, teenagers, and adults, as well as school trips, can be spaces of wonder, adventure, and joy, while becoming a true school of autonomy, discernment, cooperation, and commitment.

A more sustainable world will be built neither with isolated saviors nor with dependent spectators.

It will be built with people capable of understanding, acting, cooperating, transforming themselves, and transforming with others the systems in which they participate.

This is the capacity that Objectif Sciences International's scientific stays cultivate, summer after summer, in the field.

Participatory Research for Impact

Thomas EGLI — 2026-06-11T12:43:27Z

Following the international webinar organized on May 27, 2026, this page presents a monograph (of the types of actors, countries concerned, practices, issues, and audiences) and several tools that had been presented there. This page is available to the community of practice.

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Participatory Research for Impact is not another additional sector, but rather a choice in the objectives and organization of possible Participatory Research projects. It is therefore a way of organizing the production of knowledge, structuring action, and making projects more useful, more robust, and more sustainable, more specifically in service of the SDGs. It makes it possible to connect, in a single movement, research, education, territories, public policies, operators, local communities, and funders.

The purpose of the webinar was not only to present the +50 projects that had been submitted through the continuous call for proposals over the previous 3 months, but also to show that there is already, at the international level, a very concrete basis for bringing about a global coalition of participatory research projects capable of producing scientific results in service of local transformations and solid development trajectories.

The presentation was able to highlight that in a great many countries, project leaders, researchers, NGOs, educators, local authorities, citizens, and economic actors are already working on the same major questions. The challenge is no longer only to generate ideas, but to structure them, make them compatible, fundable, replicable, and give them continuity.

Participatory Science Hackathon for the SDGs

In 2026, two major Participatory Science hackathons invite you to move from idea to real project: in August in Spain, around the total solar eclipse, then in November in the Indian Ocean, to design and structure projects useful to territories, science, and sustainable development. Two strong opportunities to join multidisciplinary teams, build skills, and leave with a project, a network, and a concrete framework for action.

Project Monograph


See the Monograph presentation

An already international dynamic

The projects mentioned in the context of this work already cover a very wide range of countries, regions, and contexts. Initiatives exist or are proposed in Africa, Europe, Latin America, North America, and in very diverse territories: rural areas, cities, coastlines, mountains, forests, Indigenous territories, border regions, vulnerable areas, or areas with limited infrastructure.

Among the countries and areas mentioned are notably:

Burkina Faso, Zambia, Mozambique;
Congo-Brazzaville, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Côte d'Ivoire;
Togo, Cameroon, Benin, Senegal;
Kenya, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Comoros;
Morocco, France, Spain;
Argentina, Colombia, Chile, Peru, Mexico;
United States / Texas;
Yasuní, Lithium Triangle, Uganda, Greenland, San Diego–Tijuana region, Colombian Amazon, subantarctic Patagonia, Sahel, East Africa, coasts, mountains, forests, and Indigenous territories.

This overview is already strategic information in itself. It shows that Participatory Research for Impact is not a juxtaposition of isolated micro-projects. It already outlines a living geography of needs, skills, initiatives, and therefore a credible basis for large-scale cooperation.

The main types of actors concerned

The strength of this approach comes from the fact that it does not rely on a single type of actor. It relies on structured partnerships, where each party contributes a specific function. This is precisely what was recalled during the webinar.

Among the main types of actors concerned, we find:

Research organizations

universities;
academic laboratories;
scientific institutes;
field stations;
technical and scientific centers.

They provide the formulation of questions, methodological soundness, bibliographies, validation of protocols, analysis, and promotion of results.

Educational organizations

primary schools, middle schools, high schools;
higher education institutions;
training structures;
non-formal education actors.

They provide access to audiences, educational continuity, connection with learning processes, capacity building, and dissemination of knowledge.

Science mediation actors

science education associations;
science culture centers;
museums, parks, reserves;
mediation networks.

They make projects accessible, desirable, understandable, and appropriable by varied audiences.

Territorial and public organizations

local authorities;
environmental agencies;
site management structures;
public operators;
technical services.

They provide local anchoring, links with public policies, access to field sites, institutional continuity, and concrete uses of results.

Field organizations

local, national, or international NGOs;
community organizations;
cooperatives;
naturalist associations;
Indigenous or local knowledge organizations.

They provide detailed knowledge of social and ecological realities, relationships with the audiences concerned, the capacity for local implementation, and territorial legitimacy.

Economic actors

responsible tourism operators;
consulting firms;
technical structures;
impact enterprises;
scientific or logistical service providers.

They provide means of execution, professionalization, dissemination, scaling up, and sometimes the solvency of the model.

Funders and supporters

foundations;
patrons;
international institutions;
public donors;
impact investors.

They make it possible to finance structuring, seed funding, continuity, and scaling.

Citizens, participants, and communities

As required by the definition of so-called Participatory Research, they are not simple “beneficiaries” but are called upon to be observers, co-investigators, data producers, local relays, testers, knowledge brokers, ambassadors, and co-designers.

This is one of the most important ideas of the webinar: Participatory Research is not done on people nor only for them. It is done with them, and always as much as possible by them.

The areas of life and issues covered

The projects presented show that Participatory Research can be mobilized in almost all major areas of life:

Health
Human, community, reproductive, maternal, and child health, access to healthcare, vulnerabilities, relationships between environment and health.

Biodiversity
Fauna, flora, pollinators, medicinal plants, forests, discreet species, coastal ecosystems, algae, species monitoring, and restoration.

Agriculture and food
Food security, subsistence crops, aflatoxins, animal nutrition, biotechnologies, agroecological adaptation.

Water, coastlines, and oceans
Water quality, rivers, lakes, coastal areas, marine and subantarctic environments, waste monitoring, uses, resilience of coastal territories.

Climate and resilience
Natural risks, floods, drought, adaptation, environmental management, transformation of uses, community resilience.

Education
STEAM pedagogies, mathematics, educational artificial intelligence, free culture, capacity building, teacher training, and youth involvement.

Peace, justice, citizenship
Social cohesion, access to rights, local governance, citizen participation, mediation and trust-building mechanisms.

Digital technology and AI
Data, mapping, drones, GIS, gamification, visualization, digital infrastructures, open applications.

Participatory Research is a cross-cutting method for producing useful knowledge, mobilizable whenever a territory or organization needs to understand better in order to act better.

The directly concerned audiences

The projects described do not target a single “audience.” They mobilize very different audiences, because the problems themselves are multidimensional.

For example, we find:

children, adolescents, students;
teachers, educators, school leadership teams;
families and educational communities;
rural women, women farmers, women entrepreneurs;
peasant, Indigenous, Mapuche, Amazonian communities;
residents of cities, peri-urban areas, and coastlines;
fishers, livestock farmers, farmers, cooperatives;
caregivers, midwives, healers, mediators;
vulnerable, displaced people, people in situations of conflict or precariousness;
researchers, laboratories, NGOs, justices of the peace, community radio stations, local media.

What this changes concretely is the very way projects are designed. A project is not solid because it is well written. It becomes solid when it is capable of identifying who is truly concerned, who can participate, who can use the results, who can fund, who can relay, who can learn, and who can decide.

Concrete practices of Participatory Research for Impact

The webinar showed that practice is not limited either to a citizen workshop, to data collection, or to awareness-raising. A practice that is always as rich as possible relies on a complete chain:

an explicit research question;
a bibliography or minimal state of the art;
clearly formulated hypotheses or issues;
identified partners;
an understandable and realistic protocol;
participants prepared for their role;
effective production of data, observations, measurements, samples, traces, maps, or structured narratives;
an analysis phase after the fieldwork;
scientific, public, or educational dissemination;
capitalization making it possible to improve the project in the next operation.

In other words, we are not talking only about “doing a scientific activity.” We are talking about truly contributing to a research project, even if the formats are educational, community-based, territorial, or citizen-based.

Follow-up to be given to the monograph presented during the webinar

The monograph presented aims to show, in a single document, the diversity of the proposed projects, the diversity of the countries represented, the diversity of the audiences involved, and the diversity of the issues addressed.

It makes it possible:

to make visible what already exists;
to show that common logics run through very different projects;
to identify possible convergences;
to identify blind spots, overlaps, and structuring needs;
to reveal a potential coalition already in formation.

In its strategic function, it makes it possible to move from an impression of dispersion to an overall vision. It helps identify the topics, territories, actors, skills, audiences, opportunities, tools, and nodes to be addressed.

In an impact logic here as well, the monograph is therefore not only a synthesis document but also a tool for orientation, dialogue, and credibility for partners, institutions, and funders.

The tools presented during the webinar

Several tools were presented. They form a coherent set, ranging from the call for projects to operational management and scientific monitoring.

The continuous call for proposals

This tool makes it possible to bring projects to the surface over time, without depending on a single deadline. It is particularly suited to international and multi-actor dynamics, because it makes it possible:

to welcome the diversity of initiatives;
to progressively map needs, skills, and territories;
to identify possible synergies;
to structure entry into a coalition or program.

In practice, this tool is useful for any organization that wants to open a framework for welcoming and selecting projects without blocking innovation within an overly rigid calendar.

Submit a project: Participatory Research Project Creation – Permanent Call for Proposals

(See the Participatory Science Hackathon for the SDGs: https://www.training-for-development.com/-Participatory-Science-Step-1- )

The partnership framework for operations


See presentation of the Frame of partnership roadmaps

This tool recalls that any serious participatory science operation is based on a clear composition of functions. It is used to identify:

which partners are necessary;
what each one contributes;
what is missing;
how to avoid an operation relying on a single structure or on implicit expectations.

It is a particularly useful tool in the development phase, but also in the contracting or role-clarification phase.

The NGO Objectif Sciences International makes this tool available to any organization deploying one or more Participatory Research operations. For any interest in collaboration, contact us at info-un osi-ngo.org .

(See the Participatory Science Hackathon for the SDGs: https://www.training-for-development.com/-Participatory-Science-Step-1- )

The operation plan


See the presentation of the Operation plan tool

The operation plan was presented as a central tool. It is used to transform a field intention into a secure and manageable operation. It brings together in a single document:

the objectives;
the participants;
the responsibilities;
the planning;
the itineraries;
the resources;
the communications;
the safety and emergency elements.

Concretely, it is the tool that prevents operations from relying on oral memory, scattered messages, or implicit decisions. It makes it possible to know who does what, where, when, with what means, and according to what criteria.

(See the Participatory Science Hackathon for the SDGs: https://www.training-for-development.com/-Participatory-Science-Step-1- )

The research monitoring tool


See the presentation on the Real research monitoring tool

This tool makes it possible to verify whether a program is truly conducting participatory research, or only an interesting, educational, or useful activity.

It helps ask the right questions:

is the research question clear?
is there a bibliography?
have the scientific partners been identified?
are data actually being produced?
are analyses planned?
will the results be shared?
do the participants understand what they are helping to produce?
does the operation create value useful to the territory?

It is a quality-securing tool. Its main value is that it transforms a qualitative judgment into an improvement roadmap.

(See the Participatory Science Hackathon for the SDGs: https://www.training-for-development.com/-Participatory-Science-Step-1- )

Impact-oriented Participatory Research tools

The document on Impact-oriented Participatory Research tools showed that there are several complementary building blocks to move:

from an intention to a structure;
from an idea to a project;
from a project to a fundable mechanism;
from a local dynamic to a replicable model.

These tools notably make it possible to:

clarify the problem;
identify the value created;
connect concerned audiences, partners, funders, and operators;
make projects more readable for scientific, institutional, and philanthropic partners;
avoid projects that are attractive on paper but weak in the field;
give teams a common language.

What these tools change in practice

Taken separately, each of these tools is useful. Taken together, they profoundly change the way projects are developed and managed.

They make it possible:

to distinguish what belongs to intention from what belongs to real research;
to better distribute responsibilities;
to make missing resources visible;
to anticipate blockages;
to secure operations;
to communicate better with partners;
to better convince funders;
to capitalize on lessons learned instead of starting from scratch each time.

Above all, they make it possible to professionalize without rigidifying, and to structure without stifling.

Why Participatory Research is a lever for impact

Participatory Research for Impact is valuable not only because it “gets people involved.” It is valuable because it makes it possible to achieve several objectives at the same time:

produce useful data and knowledge;
train the people concerned;
strengthen local capacities;
legitimize decisions;
create new forms of cooperation;
make projects more fundable;
improve the dissemination of results;
anchor transformations in territories.

In other words, it reduces the separation between research, action, pedagogy, and governance.

What to remember in order to move into action

For project leaders, organizations, institutions, researchers, and territories, several practical lessons clearly emerge.

First, do not remain alone. The quality of a project depends strongly on the quality of its partnerships.

Second, do not confuse facilitation, awareness-raising, and research. The three can coexist, but they do not obey the same requirements.

Third, document from the outset. A research question, partners, a protocol, an operation plan, a monitoring tool: all of this must exist early, even at a simple level.

Fourth, think from the beginning about what comes after the fieldwork: analysis, promotion, dissemination, improvement, uses of the results.

Fifth, accept the diversity of audiences and formats, but without losing scientific, educational, and institutional coherence.

Conclusion

Participatory Research for Impact opens up a particularly strong perspective for the years to come. It makes it possible to bring together worlds that still cross paths too rarely: citizens, researchers, educators, territories, funders, operators, institutions.

The webinar showed that the materials are already there: countries, projects, audiences, partners, powerful questions, structuring tools, methods, field examples.

The issue is therefore no longer only to have good ideas. The issue is to give these ideas a form that lasts over time, produces results, learns from its own operations, and can be understood equally well by citizens, scientists, local authorities, donors, and partners.

This is precisely where Impact-oriented Participatory Research gains its full strength: when it becomes at once a way of researching, a way of learning, a way of acting, and a way of sustainably transforming the links between science and society.

Publication: Participatory Science for Ecological Transition

Thomas EGLI — 2026-05-16T15:11:09Z

A new article has just been published on the Training for Development website: Participatory Science for Ecological Transition.

It presents, in a comprehensive and educational way, how participatory science can become a concrete lever for supporting, generating, and accelerating ecological transitions. The article shows that citizen participation is not limited to awareness-raising or the collection of observations: it can enable participants to become data creators, co-producers of knowledge, actors in decisions, and initiators of local actions.

Drawing on concrete examples, educational situations, field projects, and collective exercises, the article explains how to move from simple ecological awareness to approaches capable of acting on the root causes of problems: biodiversity, water, climate, chemical pollution, heat islands, soils, oceans, and public policies.

It also proposes an operational method for designing participatory science projects with impact, by articulating scientific rigor, pedagogy, real participation, safety, accessibility, territorial grounding, and ecological transformation.

“Participatory science is not only a way to make people like science or raise ecological awareness. It can become a method for transforming territories.”

A reference article for all those who wish to understand how to connect science, citizenship, learning through action, and ecological transition :
www.training-for-development.com/Participatory-Science-for-Ecological-Transition?lang=en

Impact Participatory Research

Thomas EGLI — 2026-04-30T14:37:15Z

INTERACTIVE WEBINAR

Developing Participatory Research with Impact:
Tools and a practical roadmap: create jobs and sustain your projects over time.

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International webinar organized in French - Spanish - English.

Wednesday, May 27, 2026
FREE
(see below for times according to your city)

Following the Ongoing Call for Proposals “Creation of a Participatory Research Project”, this international webinar offers a very concrete presentation–debate to help all stakeholders design, structure, and accelerate Participatory Research with Impact.
Drawing on the monograph of the projects and a practical roadmap, the session will highlight the levers for strengthening results, funding implementation, developing audiences, and creating sustainable jobs. Interactive and multilingual (French, Spanish, English), the webinar will allow everyone to ask their questions and leave with solutions that can be activated immediately.

Receive the link to the webinar

Co-organized by:

Geneva Forum × Objectif Sciences International × Terra Scientifica × Step & Go

Presentation–debate:

Methods and tools,
Intended for all stakeholders who want to start, structure, or accelerate a participatory research approach,
Building results (jobs, audiences, operations, research progress...)
By securing the continuity of projects over time.

The concrete and useful format of the session will enable all stakeholders present to get to know one another across the planet and introduce themselves to each other:

Agenda:

Opening and welcome
Monograph of the projects represented and mutual presentations (bringing together all projects resulting from the Ongoing Call for Proposals “Creation of a Participatory Research Project”.
Major strengths, structuring challenges, and possible acceleration levers depending on the projects
- methods,
- implementation formats,
- funding pathways,
- partnerships,
- dissemination,
- scaling up

The goal is for each participant to be able to position themselves, compare themselves, and leave with solutions that can be concretely activated immediately within the context of their situation and projects.

This is a rare and valuable opportunity: not only will many solutions be proposed, but the session will be highly interactive, with the possibility to ask all your questions and obtain directly actionable answers and guidance. Exchanges will be open to contributions in the language of your choice.

Languages: Français • Español • English (interactive webinar provided in all 3 languages)
Date: Wednesday, May 27, 2026
Duration: 3 hours

Geneva–Paris time: from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
New York time: from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. (EDT).
Santiago, Chile time: from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. (CLT).
Nairobi time: from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. (EAT).
Cairo time: from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. (EEST).
Bangkok time: from 9:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m. (the next day) (ICT).
Tokyo time: from 11:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. (the next day) (JST).
Tahiti time: from 4:00 a.m. to 7:00 a.m. (TAHT).

Register: if you want to benefit from concrete solutions, it is essential to attend.

To go further

This webinar is preparing, in particular, two structuring events.

The Step One Participatory Science Hackathon, which will take place in August 2026 in Spain on the occasion of the total solar eclipse: https://www.training-for-development.com/In-August-Participatory-Science-Hackathon-ECLIPSE-Science-Climate-and-Humanity?lang=en
The Annual International Conference on Citizen Science and Fab Labs for Peace and Development, which will take place in December 2026 at the UN as part of the Geneva Forum: https://geneva-forum.com/Citizen-and-Participatory-Science.html (2026 dates: Wednesday, December 9, as part of the Geneva Forum 2026 from December 7 to 11, 2026)

Filling out a logical framework in 45 minutes: the free manual offered with the Geneva Forum

Thomas EGLI — 2026-04-11T09:54:55Z

Has a contact person, a donor, a funder, or a partner asked you to fill out your project's logical framework? Objectif Sciences International gives you free access, in partnership with the Geneva Forum, to a simple and powerful manual to help you define your project and complete this document in just 45 minutes.

It often happens that a project leader, an association, an NGO, a mission-driven organization, or even an institutional actor is asked to fill out a logical framework.

For many, this document seems long, technical, abstract, or reserved for specialists. Yet, when used properly, it can instead become a very useful tool for clarifying a project, making it understandable, managing it better, and communicating better with partners, funders, or support providers.

That is precisely why Objectif Sciences International is sharing with its more than 3,000 user accounts a free resource offered in partnership with the Geneva Forum.

This resource gives you access to a self-training manual and a simple method for filling out a logical framework in just 45 minutes.

The goal is not to trap you in yet another administrative exercise.

The goal is to help you:

better understand the logic of your project;
distinguish its Why, its What / Who, and its How;
turn an idea that is still vague into a clearer project;
produce a document that can be used with a contact person, a support provider, a donor, or a funder;
move more easily toward a stronger project outline.

This method was designed to be useful at different levels:

individual project;
association project;
NGO action;
impact-driven economic activity;
collective program;
public scheme;
large-scale project.

In other words, whenever a contact person asks you for a logical framework, you can rely on this method to save time, better structure your thinking, and make your project easier to understand.

The manual offered by the Geneva Forum was designed to focus on the essentials, with a simple, quick, and practical progression.

In 45 minutes, it helps you:

define your project;
identify its objectives;
clarify the expected results;
specify the activities and resources;
build a first coherent working basis.

If you are concerned by this request, you can access this resource for free here:

Access the free manual for filling out a logical framework in 45 minutes

Whether you are launching an initiative, structuring an existing action, responding to a donor's request, or preparing for an exchange with a partner, this resource can save you valuable time.

If you are asked for a logical framework, do not stay stuck. Rely on a simple, free, and proven method, and move more quickly toward a better-defined project.

Training-Hackathon Participatory Science this March 6-7-8, 2026 – 20 years of OSI St1 Hackathons

Thomas EGLI — 2026-02-27T18:12:41Z

Let's invent together the scientific journeys of tomorrow!

In March 2026, the Participatory Science Hackathon for Scientific Travel celebrates its 20^th anniversary.

Since February 2005, the Training-Hackathons led by the network Objectif Sciences International have enabled hundreds of participants – students, researchers, educators, entrepreneurs, engineers, NGO members – to design concrete projects combining science, world exploration, and societal impact.

All members of the Objectif Sciences International network who wish to take part in this anniversary edition are welcome.

Registration is open here:
https://www.training-for-development.com/March-in-Paris-Hackathon-Participatory-Science-for-Scientific-Travel?lang=en

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In March in Paris – from March 6 to 8, 2026

A 3-day immersive Hackathon (with accommodation), special Animation & Teaching.

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Why participate?

During 3 days or one intense and inspiring week:

Imagine an innovative solution
Build your project from A to Z
Respond to challenges launched by major stakeholders
Benefit from expert mentoring
Present your project during a final pitch

This Hackathon is hands-on training:
you develop your skills while truly bringing your ideas to life.

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Participatory Science & Scientific Travel

The objective: to design scientific travel experiences that:

combine exploration, data collection, and knowledge production,
contribute to planetary resilience,
promote smarter, more sustainable and environmentally respectful tourism,
make research accessible to as many people as possible.

Astronomy, geology, biodiversity, climatology, anthropology, environmental law, ecological engineering, technological innovation, sustainable economics, education…

All disciplines can contribute.

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For whom?

This Hackathon is open to:

Students and young professionals
Researchers and teachers
Engineers and innovators
NGO members
Public decision-makers
Entrepreneurs
Field practitioners
Residents of the City of Paris and beyond

Whether you are an active member of the OSI network or wish to become more involved, your contribution is welcome.

Number of participants: 20 to 40 people

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Dates & Locations

Animation + Teaching Session
From Thursday evening, March 5, 2026 to Sunday, March 8, 2026 – 5:00 PM
With accommodation at Gîte La Donaclaudre (Seine-et-Marne)

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What you will gain

Project design and scaling
Interdisciplinary teamwork
Complex problem-solving
Strategic networking
Creativity & innovation
Communication & pitching
Knowledge in participatory research Participatory Research see : http://www.voyages-scientifiques.com
Official certificate of participation

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After the Hackathon

You will be able to:

Deploy your project within the framework of Objectif Sciences International activities
Develop your own activity
Contribute to impact-driven projects at national and international levels
Propose your projects to UNESCO member countries within the framework of climate, ecological, and social objectives

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Registration

Members and friends of the Objectif Sciences International network are invited to register now:

https://www.training-for-development.com/March-in-Paris-Hackathon-Participatory-Science-for-Scientific-Travel?lang=en

Provide your email address to receive detailed information (fees, conditions, registration form).

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20 years of innovation, cooperation, and Participatory Science

March 2026 will be a special edition.

Join us in Paris to write the next decade of Scientific Travel.

Participatory Research Project Creation – Permanent Call for Proposals

Thomas EGLI — 2026-01-25T16:24:40Z

Universities - Laboratories - Research Centers...

Gain for your research:

funding,
support for production,
and strengthened mobilization of results.

Do you have a research question, a need for knowledge, a field site or community in mind and want to broaden it through a Participatory Research initiative or project? Let's work together to design the project that suits you.

For over 30 years, the NGO OSI has promoted Participatory Research activities across all continents, including in support of Governmental Policies for Sustainable Development.

Respond to the Ongoing Call for Proposals by the NGO Objectif Sciences International.

Enjoy a simple and lightweight process: an express form (30–60 seconds), with no commitment, followed by a short qualification to frame the core of the project.

Increase your scientific output by broadening the research spectrum (multi-site, multi-audience)
Enable knowledge transfer and mobilization through the participatory dimension
Trigger and obtain additional funding thanks to operational formats of Participatory Research (scientific trips, hackathons, classes, observer networks, data challenges, etc.)

OSI and Participatory Research

1992: Launch of OSI's first Participatory Research project

2005: Pilot year: all children's and teenagers' science trips, school discovery classes, educational travel, and family trips are dedicated to real research and produce scientific results across all fields

2011: Granted Special Consultative Status with the UN (ECOSOC), and start of partnerships with UNESCO, UNEP, UN-Habitat...

2022: Co-Chair of the Selection Committee for the French National Research Agency's Participatory Research Call for Projects

Why this Call for Proposals?

Participatory research enables “more and better,” and “with”: more data, more fieldwork, more perspectives, and results more easily usable by society (public authorities, local governments, associations, companies, educational audiences...). Of course, there are many other benefits from the societal (engagement) and individual (capacity building, discernment, scientific literacy) perspectives as well.

The NGO Objectif Sciences International maintains this page with a Continuous Call for Proposals to help you initiate, shape, and deploy Participatory Research projects that strengthen at once:

scientific production (multi-site data collection, robust protocols, structured contributions),
transfer/mobilization of results (from the design stage, not just “at the end”),
the capacity to fund scientific production (fieldwork, facilitation, dissemination) via operational formats compatible with research.

A lightweight process

More than 30 years of experience are made available to you, including through an agile and entrepreneurial approach dedicated to designing Participatory Research projects, allowing for a lightweight journey designed to avoid burdening research teams at the proposal stage.

Step 1 — Express submission (30–60 seconds)

You outline the essentials via a short form, no documents to produce, no commitment.

Step 2 — Short qualification

OSI will contact you for a brief exchange to clarify the core of the project: research question, field, type of participation, possible trajectory, constraints, implementation and funding opportunities.

Step 3 — Optional project prototype framing

If interest and alignment are there, a short (video) session is held to turn the idea into an operational prototype (sketch): simple protocol, participation, data quality, format, timeline, dissemination.

Step 4 — Implementation (in chosen format)

Field coordination, followed by scale-up (multi-site / multi-season), publication and dissemination according to your strategy.

What you gain

1) Support for scientific production

broadened research scope (multi-site, multi-audience, multi-context),
faster field data collection,
improved ability to test protocols “under real conditions.”

2) Results mobilization integrated from the start

transfer, usage, appropriation: considered from the beginning,
structured dissemination and outreach (scientific + societal),
recognition and traceability of contributions (participants, partners, territories).

3) Additional funding through implementation formats

Depending on the format, the NGO can provide direct or indirect co-funding:

participation / training revenues (to fund field costs, logistics, participant facilitation),
public/private co-funding, sponsors, territorial programs, accessible due to the format chosen for the Participatory Research project,
foundations / philanthropy, funding one or several project components aligned with their goals,
dissemination / valorization budgets that complement the scientific core, through various pre-existing mechanisms.

Who can submit a proposal?

This Call for Proposals is deliberately inclusive: Participatory Research can stem from a scientific question, a local need, an association-driven issue, or a student project — and can then be strengthened with the right partners.

You can submit as:

Laboratory / University / Research center
Public authority (municipality, regional entity, natural park, public service…)
Association / NGO / collective
Students (master's work, group, PhD candidates, student association, junior enterprise…)
Company / startup (if relevant for transfer, implementation, or tools)
Citizens / field experts (if sponsorship is possible or can be built)

Even without a partner already identified, you can submit: OSI can assist with matching (lab, territory, participant network, dissemination partner, etc.) at various national or international events throughout the year.

What is eligible

To submit, you simply need:

a research question or need for knowledge,
a potential field/community (even broad: a territory, a network, a public, an ecosystem, a sector…).

Proposals are accepted at all levels of maturity:

idea / intuition,
already formulated question,
ongoing project (to scale / amplify / industrialize),
project ready for “landing” (valorize, disseminate, transfer, sustain).

Types of projects sought

The page welcomes a continuum, from “data collection” to “co-constructed”:

Participatory Science: public contribution to data collection / observation / interpretation (structured crowdsourcing).
Participatory Research: co-construction from the outset (question, method, analysis, dissemination) with societal actors.

Open themes: all. Technologies, physics, chemistry, electronics, energy, transport, paleontology, archaeology, meteorology, oceanography, environment, health, education, culture, territories, transitions, biodiversity, climate, water, risks, humanities, integrated agriculture, regenerative economy…

Priority to topics where participatory approaches truly scale up speed, geographic diversity, or result mobilization.

And extra credit for projects that can engage the public in fundamental research or in support of sustainable development!

Possible operational formats

OSI has a library of formats compatible with Participatory Research, such as:

Scientific trips / scientific expeditions / camps
Discovery classes / school projects
Hackathons / bootcamps (proto + data + tools)
Observer networks & multi-site campaigns
Data challenges / gamification (image analysis, classification, etc.)

These formats are fundable because they allow for mobilizing:

participation (field / training / supervised experience),
territorial partnerships,
public, strategic, international funding,
support from foundations / philanthropy,
dissemination and valorization budgets,
while strengthening scientific production.

What Objectif Sciences International provides

Goal: zero unnecessary burden for research teams, and maximum robustness on implementation.

Depending on the project, OSI can provide:

Participatory engineering: participation design + data quality
Community engagement: recruitment, engagement, retention
Logistics & pedagogy: for trips/school/hackathon formats
Communication & dissemination: science + general public + partners
Financial planning support: packaging, budgeting, partners, adaptations
Field deployment: multi-site coordination, tools, operational monitoring

How the project is dimensioned after qualification

After the one-click submission and brief project outline discussion, OSI helps you clarify:

the scientific core (question, hypothesis, indicators, simple protocol),
the type of participation (who contributes, how, with what safeguards),
the format (trip, network, school, hackathon, data challenge…),
the timeline (season, fieldwork, constraints),
the trajectory: pilot → scale-up → publication/dissemination → sustainability.

Trusted framework: what you validate and control

The Lightweight Process ensures rigor without burden at the start.
You retain control over:

principles of transparency and recognition of contributions,
open science when relevant and possible,
intellectual property / licensing options (open / hybrid / transfer),
data and consent management where necessary,
ethics, safety, scientific integrity standards.

Submit a proposal (30–60 seconds)

No commitment – no heavy documents – fast response for qualification

Minimum information required:

who you are (category + contact),
a short title,
your research question / knowledge need,
your field / community,
the type of approach (Participatory Science / Participatory Research / not sure),
the envisaged format (trip, hackathon, class, network, data challenge…),
what you are mainly seeking (protocol, participants/sites, lab partner, territory partner, funding, dissemination…).

Submit in 60 seconds

FAQ

If I'm not from a lab, do I need to already have a lab partner?
No. You can submit with just a question and an intended field. OSI can assist with matching.

How long does it really take?
Submission is designed to take less than a minute. The qualification exchange is short (40-minute video call).

What maturity levels are accepted?
From an idea to an ongoing project, or a project ready to be valorized / disseminated / transferred.

Is this compatible with scientific publications?
Yes: the goal is to increase available data, strengthen production, and boost publications for the scientific partner, with contributor recognition included in these additional articles.

What types of funding are possible?
Depending on the chosen Participatory Research format(s), many types of funding can be brought to the project, such as participation/training for field costs, public co-funding, financial instruments, foundations/philanthropy, dissemination/valorization budgets, territorial partnerships.

How are participants/contributors recognized?
Depending on the project: acknowledgments, cited contributions, described roles, traceability, involvement in outreach events, with clear rules established during project framing.

Contact

Any questions before submitting? Write to us: info-un osi-ngo.org
Or submit directly: see the form above

Importance of Participatory Science in 3 Panels of the 3rd United Nations Conference in Nice in June 2025

Thomas EGLI — 2025-10-06T14:18:00Z

Sommaire

On the occasion of the 3^rd edition of the UNOC Conference, the city of Nice hosted actors from all over the world for a conference “focused on action.”
This event was the perfect opportunity to highlight participatory science and its contributions to sustainable development (SDG14) and the protection of the marine environment.

Three major agreements emerged from this conference. Objectif Sciences International welcomes these decisions, which will help strengthen participatory science projects.

The Agreement on Plastic Pollution

First, OSI welcomed the announcement of an agreement aspiring to adopt a global objective to reduce the production and consumption of primary plastic polymers to sustainable levels.
This commitment was to be confirmed during negotiations held at the UN in Geneva from August 5 to 14, 2025, where OSI was present to bring forward the voice of participatory science.

However, the discussions of this “INC-5.2” session did not reach a consensus. States were divided on major issues such as limiting plastic production, including certain chemicals of concern, and financing arrangements.
The proposed text was ultimately deemed insufficient by several delegations, and no binding treaty could be adopted in Geneva. The negotiations therefore ended in a deadlock, with the only outcome being a “reflection note” prepared by the co-chairs to guide the next steps.

At this stage, the hoped-for global agreement has therefore not been formally confirmed. Negotiations will have to continue, and OSI will keep emphasizing the essential contribution of participatory science to document plastic pollution and mobilize civil society in support of a truly ambitious future treaty.

Enjeu: reducing plastic consumption
Participatory science, in addition to contributing to research, also has an educational and awareness-raising dimension aimed at civil society.
Multiplying participatory science initiatives over the long term can help raise public awareness, which in turn could support the objectives of reducing plastic consumption envisioned in this agreement.

Enjeu: reducing plastic production
Participatory Science also has an important role to play in reducing plastic production. Faced with the need to reduce plastic, research and participatory science could help identify alternative materials that are more environmentally respectful and less harmful (with minimal deleterious effects on ecosystems).

Governance of International Waters

This 3^rd edition of the United Nations Ocean Conference also enabled the acceleration of the entry into force of the High Seas Treaty or BBNJ (Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction).
Signed on 20/06/2023, this treaty aims to combat the exploitation of the deep seabed and provide means to encourage scientific expeditions and initiatives.

This treaty is particularly important in the framework of UNOC and the pursuit of SDG14 because it should establish large-scale marine protected areas in the high seas, preventing the risk of these zones being appropriated by national powers.
These zones are extremely important in the fight against climate change and for marine biodiversity. This is why it is essential to counter national egoisms.

Olivier Poivre d'Arvor noted that “this is also a great victory for science.” Indeed, it contributes at the same time to strengthening participatory science by facilitating access for seafarers, fishers, navigators, divers, NGOs, citizens, and collaborative expeditions, thereby facilitating contributions to scientific research.

Regulation of Fishing

Finally, one of the major decisions taken at this conference concerns fishing regulation and the intensification of the fight against illegal fishing, with the ratification of the WTO “Fish 1” agreement, which bans illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

Participatory science can also contribute here to the pursuit of these commitments.
Collaborative science projects could help design methods and devices to avoid overfishing practices. Indeed, it is known today that “for 1 target fish caught, 5 are discarded at sea.”

Conclusion

Following these discussions, OSI (Objectif Sciences International) was present in Geneva in August, at the follow-up conference of UNOC, to continue the work undertaken.

The recognition of the role of participatory science through the agreements adopted at this 3^rd edition marks an important turning point.
It heralds the opening of new pathways toward inclusive, transparent, and locally rooted ocean governance.

In this sense, OSI intends to continue its action by promoting the deployment of concrete projects, such as hackathons ans science camps, to sustain this dynamic and make participatory science an essential lever for achieving SDG14 objectives and a key tool for ocean preservation and conservation.