From 14th to 15th July 2026, the CS-MACH1 consortium gathered in Genoa’s Blue District for its mid-term General Assembly. This meeting is a turning point in the project, which has completed the first half of its life cycle. CS-MACH1 set the bases for its Marine Citizen Science Data Network, that is already populated by several European and international projects and demonstrated in real life the effectiveness of low-cost sensors to collect marine citizen science data.

Co-ordinated by the Euro-Mediterranean Center on Climate Change (CMCC) and hosted by ETT s.p.a, the meeting brought together international partners, External Advisory Board members, and local stakeholders to review progress and decide on the next steps. 

The first day of the assembly focused on the technical and strategic progresses of the project’s workstreams, and on the establishment of the Marine Citizen Science Data Network: an infrastructure designed to “connect the dots” between citizen science marine data collection initiatives across Europe.

Highlights from the first day included a co-creation session led by the European Citizen Science Association (ECSA) and the design of a strategic roadmap by Seascape Belgium (SSBE) to ensure the long-term sustainability and exploitation of the project's results.

The second day started with a showcase of real-life applications with a series of short pitches from several citizen science projects: SKULL, Outdoor Portofino, C4O, ichange, and COASTSNAP.

The following session was dedicated to stakeholders interested in the project and in the Marine Citizen Science Data Network, while the last one was about training on specific sensors and technologies (interbox, meteotracker, KduPRO, eyeonwater) and the biomarathon. Information and trainings are available on our website: www.cs-mach1.eu

In the afternoon we headed to Nervi’s beach for the hands-on training with cutting-edge citizen science tools, including:

• Interbox and Meteotracker: High-tech devices for real-time environmental monitoring.

• EnvLoggers: Temperature and physical data sensors for fixed and mobile (SUP/Kayak) deployment.

• BioMarathons: Methods for documenting biodiversity through snorkelling and underwater photography.

• Secchi Discs: Traditional yet vital tools for measuring water clarity.

The afternoon session at Sal Outdoor in Nervi saw partners and stakeholders take to the water in kayaks and SUPs to demonstrate data collection in a real-world setting. This field training highlighted the project’s commitment to empowering coastal communities, from sailing academies to diving centres, to become active contributors to marine science.