Erasmus University Rotterdam, through its International Institute of Social Studies (ISS), turned to Socialit with the goal of developing a European project aimed at promoting environmental awareness and civic engagement through citizen science.
Initially, the collaboration began as a funding consultancy: the university was looking for a partner with expertise in proposal writing and European project management. After a few unsuccessful funding attempts, both parties decided to continue working together, convinced of the idea’s value and the potential of their joint effort.
This perseverance led to the creation of ERICA – Environmental monitoRIng through Civic engAgement, an Erasmus+ project that aims to enhance citizens’ environmental awareness and promote civic participation through innovative educational methods and digital tools for environmental monitoring. The project brought together an international consortium of universities, environmental organizations, and third-sector entities, including the University of Barcelona, technical partners, and local associations active across Europe.
Beyond its active role in drafting the proposal, Socialit played a dual role in the project: as the technical partner, responsible for developing an educational and interactive platform designed to make citizen science accessible even to non-experts; and as dissemination leader, managing all project communication activities.
With ERICA, the relationship between Erasmus University Rotterdam and Socialit evolved significantly: from targeted proposal-writing consultancy to a broader engagement that activated the full spectrum of Socialit’s expertise, from strategic consulting to technical development, and European project design.
