Anne Kathrine Overgaard and Thomas Kaarsted, cofounders of the Citizen Science Knowledge Center at the University of Southern Denmark (SDU), present another bridge capable of connecting scientific research with citizens' desire for public wellbeing. They highlight inclusion, contribution, and dialogue as the building materials of this bridge, which can activate local communities for a common purpose and ensure that decisionmakers operate by considering what citizens express by exercising their rights and participating in democracy. Originally the managing director of a publishing house, Thomas Kaarsted joined the University Library of Southern Denmark in 2008 and was appointed Deputy Library Director in 2013. He has since worked on a number of strategic community/societybased projects on a national and international level and together with Anne Kathrine Overgaard, they cofounded the Citizen Science Network and the Citizen Science Knowledge Center at the SDU. He also teaches Citizen Science and is a member of the LIBER’s (Ligue des Bibliothèques Européennes de Recherche) Conference Programme Committee and the Citizen Science Working Group.

Anne Kathrine Overgaard is head of External Projects at the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Southern Denmark (SDU). She founded the SDU Citizen Science Network and Citizen Science Knowledge Center with Thomas Kaarsted. As part of her engagement in Citizen Science, she is a member of the LIBER’s (Ligue des Bibliothèques Européennes de Recherche) Citizen Science Working Group and project manager of a long range of Citizen Science projects in close collaboration with researchers and library staff. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx