CIDEFES Day 2026 | Keynote: Empowering the population through co-creation and citizen science: Experiences and lessons learned

CIDEFES Day, on July 16, 2026, brings the community together to present what its research has produced over the past year. This year's keynote turns the lens onto something else: not what we produce, but how we produce it, and with whom. We are pleased to announce Maria Giné-Garriga as keynote speaker.

Maria Giné-Garriga is Associate Professor at the Faculty of Psychology, Education and Sport Sciences Blanquerna, Universitat Ramon Llull, and Principal Investigator of its Health, Physical Activity and Sport research group. She holds an ICREA Academia award and completed a Marie Skłodowska-Curie postdoctoral fellowship at Glasgow Caledonian University. Her work centres on how participatory designs, and co-creation in particular, can increase physical activity, reduce sedentary behaviour, and improve health outcomes in older adults.

About the talk

How do we move from doing research for people to doing research with them? This keynote examines the potential of co-creation and citizen science to actively involve the population in research and innovation. Drawing on real-world examples and practical insights, it shows how these approaches value lived experience, foster meaningful participation, and contribute to more inclusive and impactful solutions. The session presents selected initiatives, the lessons they produced, and the challenges and opportunities of designing research that bridges science and society.

For a centre whose work spans sport, physical education, exercise and health, the invitation is direct: to treat the population not as the object of study, but as a partner in it.

Details

Date: July 16, 2026 Venue: Universidade Lusófona, Campus do Centro Universitário de Lisboa, room U.3.1. Registration: CIDEFES Day website