In recent decades, problems related to the accessibility and sustainability of science have increased, both in terms of the acquisition and dissemination of knowledge and its generation. Policymakers, academics, and, increasingly, citizens themselves have developed various approaches to this issue. Among them, citizen science is distinguished by making possible the generation of scientific knowledge by anyone with an interest in doing so. However, participation alone does not guarantee knowledge generation, which represents an epistemological challenge for citizen science. Simultaneously, economic and socio-institutional difficulties in science governance and maintenance have grown. To solve those problems, several market elements have been introduced, a solution rejected by those who consider science as a public good that states must guarantee. Alternatively, research and work on the commons are growing worldwide, the concept being extended from natural resources to knowledge resources. In this chapter, we propose science as a commons, underlining the essential role of citizen science. Difficulties also apply to citizen science itself, but the increasing development of a multitude of projects based on cooperation favours the conditions required for its sustainability and quality.Our philosophical proposal is based on empirical knowledge about citizen science coupled with socio-economic concepts, according to a sociopolitical epistemology.

At the European Union (EU) level, innovation matter is acknowledged as crucial for progress and sustainability. Related policy action is materialized through Horizon Europe, the 9th Framework Program (FP) for research and development (R&D). The present 8th FP, Horizon 2020, is already considered the biggest public innovation support program in the world. Accordingly, the 9th

This article provides a critical study of a New European Bauhaus initiative in the context of transversality, relational nature and sustainability of construction, architecture and civil engineering. Social and environmental factors in this ecosystem of innovation are highlighted, as well as the perspectives of actors within it. The relationships between art, technology and science of historical Bauhaus are assessed. The investigation of transversality was carried out using a visual tool developed by the authors, CATI, considering sustainability as the backbone. The New European Bauhaus is a pool of innovation that is supported by governments, academia, industry, society and the (natural) environment. It aims at social, environmental and cultural sustainability and includes ideas of social transformation. It is necessary to absorb the impact and overwhelming cultural consequences of previous and current Industrial Revolutions, principally relying on cyber–physical systems to generate spaces and collective intelligence. The climate crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic have increased the need for new approaches, expanding the concept of smart cities to smart territories, taking into account participation in society and general inclusivity.

A theoretical framework to describe and assess the advancement of innovation ecosystems in the contemporary European Union is more than necessary in order to map actors and processes, and thus provide a more comprehensive and dynamic approach. For actors, the reframed innovation helix perspective is applied, while the multilevel perspective is used for processes. At each innovation progress stage, other actors should have a slightly different role, be more active and important, and also relate to each other in a different manner. The emergence and density of intermediary actors are seen as important aspects. From the process perspective, the innovation application and also its adoption at the sociotechnical landscape level are seen as crucial. Thus, collective intelligence with societal implications and consideration for the environment evolve into the key ingredients of an advanced innovation ecosystem in the European Union. * This paper is the fi rst part of the 'Innovation Ecosystems in the EU' research and dynamic system approach to innovation. It will be followed by an assessment of the EU innovation stage, and the nanotechnology and banking sectors. JEL Classifi cation: A13, B59.