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Citizen science is a global movement that promotes better collaboration and convergence of actions for science between researchers, politicians and the general public. This movement is part of a broader conception of science, called open science.

According to Muki Haklay, citizen science is the name given to "the new form of engagement in science. The first example of the use of this term dates back to 1989, describing how 225 volunteers across the United States collected rain samples to assist Audubon in its acid rain awareness campaign." Professor Haklay currently directs the Extreme Citizen Science Institute "ExCiteS" at University College London "UCL", he is recognized worldwide as a specialist in citizen science.

In its "Green Paper on Citizen Science" published in 2013, the European Commission defines citizen science as the engagement of the general public in scientific research activities when citizens actively contribute to science either through their intellectual effort or the knowledge around them, or through their tools and resources. Participants provide experimental data and facilities for researchers, raise new questions and co-create a new scientific culture. 

Under citizen science, we can find citizen scientists who work for the general interest or members of the general public, amateurs and lovers of science, engaged in scientific research under the direction of research institutes and professional researchers. Mycle Schneider, administrator of the Japanese foundation Takagi Fund For Citizen Science defined in 2001 the citizen scientist, through his particular capacities of research and analysis, must participate in the protection of society against modes of development which place the interest of the State or the corporate interest above the collective benefit.

Today, a multitude of participatory science projects have emerged in France and Europe since the 1980s as Galaxy Zoo, one of the largest international projects in participatory science involving amateur astrophysics (astrophysics) in collecting of data; this project and its impact have been analyzed by ETH Zurich researcher Raphaël Hviding.

On the other hand, the University of Geneva hosted last May the conference of the European Citizen Science Association "ECSA" led by Johannes Vogel. This major event was an opportunity to review the current situation of participatory science, to review the environment and the ecosystem of citizen participation in science, and to address related issues such as environmental health in the context of a community project.