We are very pleased to welcome the University of Applied Sciences Carinthia (FH Kärnten) as a new partner in the Citizen Science Network Austria. The Carinthian University of Applied Sciences lives the model of direct practical relevance. Full-time and part-time employees as well as guest lecturers from industry and business ensure an interdisciplinary, internationally oriented university education. At present, about 30 study programmes are offered in the fields of technology, health and social affairs as well as economics.the Carinthian University of Applied Sciences is a dynamic and dialogue-oriented university of applied sciences with regional roots and international orientation. It is active in the focal areas of health and social affairs, technology and economics. Its core tasks lie in the areas of study and teaching, applied research, knowledge transfer and continuing education. For these reasons, the Carinthian University of Applied Sciences has already gained a lot of experience in participatory research and we are pleased to welcome you here.

It is with great pleasure that we welcome our newest and at the same time most western member of the Citizen Science Network Austria: the inatura in Dornbirn. The inatura is not only an interactive exhibition space where visitors can learn everything about the nature of Vorarlberg, it also offers further education courses, expert advice and is also a research centre. As a multifunctional institution, inatura is of course no stranger to citizen science: it sees itself as a hub for citizen science in Vorarlberg and informs the Vorarlberg population about citizen science projects that are being carried out in the region.

We are very pleased that inatura is now part of the network and that we will work closely together in the field of citizen science in the future.

The University of Klagenfurt, founded in 1970, is one of the young public universities in Austria. The degree programmes on offer cover a broad portfolio: Cultural Studies, Literature & Linguistics, Law, Economics, Social & Societal Sciences and Technical Sciences. Around 2,000 of the 12,000 students come to Klagenfurt from almost 100 countries around the world to study here. The campus of the University of Klagenfurt is located on 10 hectares near Lake Wörthersee and the Lakeside Science & Technology Park with many high-tech companies.

In addition to the four faculties and the range of subjects they represent, so-called research areas of strength have been developed, in which scientists work on modern developments and methods in basic and applied research with a high level of international resonance. These focus on the topics of "Networked and Autonomous Systems" and "Multiple Perspectives in Optimisation".

Around 1,500 people currently work at the University of Klagenfurt in teaching, research and administration on a shared campus.The short distances enable a high level of dynamism and innovation in dealing with new social requirements and challenges. From a very early stage, projects at the University of Klagenfurt were part of Österreich forscht. Contributions to the Third Mission are made across all disciplines and are visible in various social fields.

We are therefore particularly pleased that the University of Klagenfurt is now also part of the Citizen Science Network Austria and we warmly welcome them!

We are very pleased to welcome the Wiener Volkshochschulen (Vienna Adult Education Centres, VHS) to the Citizen Science Network Austria. The Vienna Adult Education Centres offer courses on a wide range of topics for an interested audience. These courses are spread all over the city and offer the right course for every taste. As the largest adult education institution in the German-speaking world, the Vienna Volkshochschulen offer educational opportunities that help people to improve their situation by their own efforts.

Due to this broad range of educational opportunities, the Vienna Adult Education Centres are a very valuable partner, which can complement the network excellently with its expertise in the field of education.

We are very pleased to welcome the University College for Agrarian and Environmental Pedagogy in Ober St. Veit to the Citizen Science Network Austria. It is Austria's only training centre for agricultural and environmental pedagogues, teachers from the agricultural education system and employees of the agricultural consulting and support service. Apart from training, the University also conducts scientifically sound research in the sense of research-based teaching and learning.

We are very pleased to have the University of Agricultural and Environmental Education as the first university of education in the Citizen Science Network Austria and are convinced that the network can benefit greatly from this new expertise.

With the Salzburg University of Applied Sciences, the third university of applied sciences is already part of the Citizen Science Network Austria. With 2700 students in the faculties of engineering, social and economic sciences, design, media and art and health sciences, the FH Salzburg offers practical training and applied research. In its vision, society is at the centre of attention, which also makes the FH Salzburg a valuable partner in the Citizen Science Network Austria.

We are very pleased about the cooperation with the FH Salzburg in the network and are already looking forward to joint projects in the future.

The Neusiedler See - Seewinkel National Park is the only steppe national park in Austria and is home to a wealth of animal and plant species. The National Park is particularly famous for the many bird species that can be observed there. This is why the National Park is also particularly popular with ornithologists. The diversity of habitats found in the National Park is also fascinating: there is the lake with its famous reed belt, periodically drying salt lakes, mowing meadows, pastureland for grazing and sandy habitats.

The Neusiedler See - Seewinkel National Park also has a department for Monitoring, Research and Citizen Science. We are therefore honoured that the National Park team also approached the Citizen Science Network Austria to become the first National Park ever to become a member. We are very much looking forward to the future cooperation and welcome the National Park Neusiedler See - Seewinkel!

The Austrian Science Fund FWF (Fonds zur Förderung der wissenschaftlichen Forschung) is Austria's central institution for the promotion of basic research. The FWF aims at the progression of science at a high international level. It contributes to cultural development, to the expansion of the knowledge-based society and thus to the increase of added value and prosperity in Austria.

The objectives of the FWF are:

• Strengthening Austria's scientific performance in international contexts and its attractiveness as a science hub, above all by promoting top-level research by individuals or teams, but also by contributing to improving the competitiveness of research institutions and the Austrian science system.
• Qualitative and quantitative expansion of the research potential according to the principle "education through research".
• Increased communication and expansion of the interactions between science and all other areas of cultural, economic and social life, whereby the acceptance of science in particular is to be consolidated by systematic public relations work.

It was not self-evident that the FWF would become a partner for the Citizen Science Network Austria. That is why we are all the more pleased that in the FWF we have not only gained a partner with an outstanding national and international reputation, but also an active member who is involved in working groups and thus helps to create the basis for excellent research in the field of citizen science in Austria. We would like to express our sincere thanks for the support in the past years and hope for continued excellent cooperation in the future.

The Medical University of Vienna (short: MedUni Vienna) is one of the most long-established medical training and research institutions in Europe. With around 8,000 students it is today the largest medical training institution in the German-speaking countries. With its 26 university clinics and three clinical institutes, 12 medical theory centres and numerous highly specialised laboratories, it is also one of the most important top research institutions in Europe in the biomedical field.

As one of the most innovative medical universities in Europe, MedUni Vienna is constantly working to attract the best minds to advance medical research, teach future-oriented knowledge and ensure the best possible and most advanced treatment for patients.

And MedUni Vienna also relies on citizen science in some of its projects, and is represented by two of them: the Pollen Diary and the Ragweed Finder. We are very pleased that this important institution in the German-speaking research area is also a member of the Citizen Science Network Austria and look forward to continued very constructive and pleasant cooperation.