Scuola di Dottorato

The SPHERE project (Spreading Global Health Citizen Science Research Methodologies for UNITA), developed within the UNITA – Universitas Montium European University Alliance (https://univ-unita.eu/) announces the launch of an Online Citizen Science in Global Health Course, running from February to June 2026.

The initiative responds to the growing need for inclusive, participatory research approaches in Global Health. Citizen Science is an innovative methodology that actively involves non-professional scientists—citizens, patients, and communities—across different phases of the research process, strengthening both scientific quality and societal impact.

The course consists of 10 free online lessons, held twice a month, on the second and fourth Fridays, from 3:00 to 4:30 PM (CET), for a total of 15 hours of training. It combines expert-led lectures with real-world case studies presented by practitioners from academic and non-academic sectors.

A comprehensive and interdisciplinary program

Sessions are delivered by internationally recognized experts. Afterwards, a guest speaker—in most cases from outside the Universities—presents in 15 minutes a citizen science project based on his/her direct experience. In this way, every session adds new real-world testimonies, thereby enriching the course with concrete examples and recognised best practices presented by leading practitioners.

The 10-lesson course is structured into five thematic sections:

I. Introduction to Citizen Science

1.Friday, 13 Feb 2026 - 3:00–4:30 PM (CET) - Introduction to Citizen Science.
Teacher: Muki Haklay, Team Lead Citizen Science and ECS Academy
2.Friday, 27 Feb 2026 - 3:00–4:30 PM (CET) - Citizen engagement.
Teacher: Andrea Sforzi, President of Citizen Science Italia Association,

II. Social Aspects of Citizen Science

3.Friday, 13 Mar 2026 - 3:00–4:30 PM (CET) - Open data and data ethics in Citizen Science.
Teacher: Gefion Thuermer, Freelance Research Consultant and a Research Fellow at King's College London.
4.Friday, 27 Mar 2026 - 3:00–4:30 PM (CET) - Impact Assessment and Social Inclusion in Citizen Science.
Teacher: Antonella Passani, Partner and Head of Research at T6 Ecosystems.

III. Methods and Tools for Citizen Science

5. Friday, 10 Apr 2026 - 3:00–4:30 PM (CET) - Technologies and Citizen Science.
Teacher: Fermín Serrano Sanz, research and project management of Ibercivis Foundation
6. Friday, 24 Apr 2026 - 3:00–4:30 PM (CET) - Ensuring Data Quality in Citizen Science.
Teacher: Jaume Piera Fernández, research group leader of Environmental and Sustainability Participatory Information Systems at the Institute of Marine Sciences.

IV. Citizen Science for Global Health

7. Friday, 8 May 2026 - 3:00–4:30 PM (CET) - Agri-food and Citizen Science. Teacher:  Laurent Hazard, Directeur UMR AGIR (AGroécologie, Innovations et teRritoires).
8. Friday, 22 May 2026 - 3:00–4:30 PM (CET) - Environmental Citizen Science. Teacher: Diego Casado Mansilla, Faculty of Engineering of the University of Deusto.
9. Friday, 12 Jun 2026 - 3:00–4:30 PM (CET) - Patient-based citizen science. Teacher: Maya Fedeli, Citizen Science & EU project communication officer of the Vita-Salute San Raffaele University

V. Writing and Publishing in Citizen Science

10. Friday, 26 June 2026- 3:00–4:30 PM (CET) - Writing and publishing in Citizen Science.
Teacher:  Norbert Steinhaus, founder WILA - Bonn Science Shop

Accessibility and inclusion at the core

In line with WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines), the course is designed to ensure that learning materials and online delivery are accessible, perceivable, understandable, and usable for all participants. Live sessions will be recorded and made available for asynchronous access, supporting different learning needs and schedules.

Target audience and certification

The course is open to the UNITA academic community, including:

• Master, Professional Degree and PhD students
• Researchers and teaching staff
• Technical and administrative staff
• Non-academic partners and members of the wider international scientific community

Participants who attend at least 6 of the 10 sessions and complete the required activities will receive a digital Open Badge issued by BESTR, certifying their competencies in Citizen Science and Global Health.

A collaborative international initiative

The course is funded by the UNITA Alliance, and organized by University of Turin, University of Zaragoza, Public University of Navarra, and West University of Timișoara—together with Geminae Partners from Brazil and non-academic organisations, including Citizen Science Italia, Fundación Ibercivis, T6 Ecosystems, and the European Citizen Science Academy

The initiative is funded by the UNITA Alliance through the Starting Grant on Global Health program.

Registration and information

Applications will be submitted via a Google Form, to be distributed through UNITA institutional channels. It is also possible to attend individual sessions without obtaining the Open Badge.

The language of instruction is English.

Opening data: 21 January 2026

Closing data:  10 February 2026

Click here to register: https://forms.gle/mmb8B6rvnXfGzKGM9

Contact us at: sphere@unito.it.