On 13 November 2025, a ceremonial signing of the Memorandum of understanding for cooperation and mutual interest in the development of citizen science in the Czech Republic and Slovakia took place at Arnold Villa in Brno. The document is considered as an initial step toward the establishment of the Czech and Slovak Citizen Science Platform. The goal of the platform is to facilitate cooperation and sharing experience among institutions, groups or individuals who organize or participate in citizen science projects. The signing of the memorandum was a ceremonial event where the visions of the platform were presented by the initiators from the Czech and Slovak Republics. There was also time for networking, refreshment, and a guided tour of the historic villa.
The Plant Science and Biodiversity Centre SAS, p. r. i. was represented by the general director Ing. Jaromír Kučera, PhD., who signed the memorandum on behalf of our institution, and the researcher Mgr. Adam Kantor, PhD., who coordinates citizen science activities of the centre through the project Slovak Flora on iNaturalist. We thank RNDr. Zuzana Stožická, PhD. (CVTI SR), one of the Slovak initiators of the platform, for the invitation.
Representatives of institutions, organizations, or individuals can access the full text of the memorandum on the website citizenscience.cz and join the initiative by online signature. Further information and photographs from the ceremonial event are available at https://www.citizenscience.cz/slavnostni-podepisovani-memoranda-o-zalozeni-platformy-ceske-a-slovenske-obcanske-vedy/.
Text: Adam Kantor
Photo: Adam Kantor, Jaromír Kučera
