Lunch conferences #4: Citizen research: avenues for reflection on strengths and challenges

Research by and for and citizen research are known to take a growing place in research in Quebec. For example, the ENGAGEMENT program of the Quebec Research Funds is a participatory science project offered since 2019 which offers citizens the opportunity to submit a research idea and bring it to fruition in close collaboration with a researcher. However, while this type of project is promising, certain challenges may also arise. For example, consistent with the principles of participatory science, the citizen should be able to participate fully in the entire project, which requires becoming familiar with scientific approaches, a process which can take time. In this presentation, the presenters will bring together their two perspectives as citizen researcher and university researcher in order to offer some avenues for reflection on the strengths and challenges surrounding the development of a citizen research project.