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In October 2020, the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin (MfN)with many partners, supported by the European Commission and the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), held an international, hybrid conference in order to showcase, evaluate, and discuss the contribution of citizen science to frame and achieve the SDGs. The conference Knowledge for Change:A Decade of Citizen Science (2020-2030) in Support of the SDGs took place as an official event of Germany’s 2020 EU Council presidency. The SDGs are a scientifically based framework for the whole world to address hunger and malnutrition, health, environment as well as culture and justice, decided by the UN. Citizen Science, the contribution of lay people to scientific activities, may support the achievement of the SDGs –by providing data and insights, but also by adapting and prioritising research questions. Aim The conference presented, evaluated and discussed the exciting contributions that Citizen Science makes in framing and achieving sustainable development, specifically the UN SDGs. The conference brought together expertise from policy makers, institutional and citizen scientists, economists, NGOs and civil society to implement mechanisms and processes for the transition towards a more sustainable future. The Declaration A Declaration including policy recommendations resulted from the conference: "Our world – our goals: citizen science for the Sustainable Development Goals". The Declaration acts as a voluntary commitment by all partners to define the roles, competences and concrete potentials of Citizen Science to advance the SDGs. It was formulated in an open and participatory process. The Declaration groups the various important contributions of citizen science to the SDGs in three central recommendations: 1) Harness the benefits of citizen science for the SDGs, 2) strengthen citizen science and its connections with other communities, and 3) strengthen future citizen science systems. The conference took place as part of the CS-SDG project, which has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 101000014.

Universitäten in Deutschland haben mit der sogenannten Third Mission neben der Lehre und der Forschung einen dritten großen gesellschaftlichen Auftrag. Die Erwartungen an Universitäten wächst, das erarbeitete Wissen neben Unternehmen auch anderen gesellschaftlichen Gruppen zu vermitteln und diese in Forschungsprozesse einzubeziehen. Zur Lösung großer gesellschaftlicher Herausforderungen wird eine stärkere Zusammenarbeit und ein gegenseitiges Verständnis von Wissenschaften und Gesellschaft als eine wichtige Strategie angesehen, die sich auch institutionell an den wissenschaftlichen Einrichtungen widerspiegeln soll. Die vorliegende Studie zeigt in 20 Profilen von Universitäten in Deutschland und der Berlin University Alliance ergänzt durch drei internationale Profile, mit welchen Strategien und Formaten die Arbeitsfelder Wissenschaftskommunikation und Forschen mit der Gesellschaft institutionell verankert sind und umgesetzt werden. Schwerpunkt sind dabei neuartige Ansätze, die über die Maßnahmen der Öffentlichkeitsarbeit hinaus gehen. Für das sich aktuell sehr dynamisch entwickelnde Arbeitsfeld von Universitäten ist die vorliegende Studie eine Momentaufnahme. Sie lädt dazu einladen, die Arbeit des eigenen Hauses zu reflektieren, voneinander zu lernen und darüber hinaus, weitere visionäre Ideen für den Knowledge Exchange zwischen Wissenschaften und Gesellschaft zu entwickeln., Beside teaching and research, universities in Germany have a third mission. There are growing expectations of universities to communicate the knowledge they have acquired to other groups in society besides companies and to involve them in research processes. To solve major societal challenges, greater cooperation and mutual understanding between the sciences and society is seen as an important strategy that should also be reflected institutionally at scientific institutions. In 20 profiles of universities in Germany and the Berlin University Alliance supplemented by three international profiles, this study shows which strategies and formats of science communication and research with society are institutionally anchored and implemented. The focus is on novel approaches that go beyond public relations measures. For the currently very dynamically developing field of work of universities, the present study is a snapshot. It invites to reflect on the work of our own institutions, to learn from each other and, beyond that, to develop further visionary ideas for the knowledge exchange between the sciences and society.

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