Oeiras Experimenta is a citizen science project that brings together researchers, policymakers, and local communities to explore climate-resilient crops. Developed through a partnership between the Municipality of Oeiras and ITQB NOVA, under the Ciência + Cidadã Program, it supports the European Green Deal and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals by promoting sustainable food production and biodiversity conservation.

Based at Quinta de Cima do Marquês de Pombal, a historic farm in Oeiras, Portugal, this living lab studies drought-tolerant crops like grass pea, sorghum, millets, quinoa, and dryland rice. It creates a collaborative agroecosystem involving scientists, citizens, policymakers, and local groups. The project includes over 15 researchers from three ITQB NOVA labs focused on finding drought-resistant crop varieties and understanding plant stress responses to ensure food security in a changing climate.

Citizen scientists actively participate in planting, maintenance, data collection, and decision-making, increasing awareness of sustainability and climate action. The project fosters intergenerational learning and works with social inclusion groups to build community resilience.

With IMPETUS Accelerator funding, Oeiras Experimenta expanded its citizen network, strengthened community engagement, formed six new scientific partnerships, and partnered with canteens, local businesses and restaurants. Together, they create sustainable recipes featuring resilient crops, showcased in public events like World Food Day.

Art and design support outreach by turning research into postcards and designing experimental field mock-ups, enhancing the project’s visual identity.

Oeiras Experimenta supports climate action through land restoration, encouraging sustainable diets, and increasing awareness of drought-resistant farming. The project provides innovative approaches to sustainable agriculture, food security, and biodiversity conservation.

We thanks ITQB NOVA, Município de Oeiras, IMPETUS and FCT; our partners: Município de Alvaiázere, Casa do Conselho de Alvaiázere, CAIS, Bairro dos Navegadores, and Semear (NGOs), Academia Sénior Oficina de Saberes, Centro Educativo Padre António de Oliveira, Catalazete, Chá da Barra, Século das Descobertas, ALAPA 300 and Suspiro (catering).  Dalila Farinha, Margarida Trindade, Alexandra Faustino, Nuno Monteiro, Alexandre Maia, Tiago Escobar, Rute Dionísio, (ITQB NOVA), Catarina Silva (FCT/NOVA) Cláudia Campos, Mónica Dias, António Gomes da Costa (IGC/GIMM), Maria João Verdasca (IST/INESC-ID); Paulo Dias (mock-up), Pedro Zenkl, Leonor Arrimar, Cláudia Sardinha (photos/video), Diana Figueiredo (Cria`Art) Romana Yáñez, Teresa Mendes (illustration), and Bruno Rodrigues (mA3cor Atelier).

The Municipality of Oeiras is a distinguished local authority committed to innovation, quality of life, and sustainable development. It focuses on modernising public management, digitalising services, promoting transparency, and prioritising sustainable mobility, education, and technological innovation. Oeiras Municipality hosts numerous leading research centres and universities, fosters citizen engagement through citizen science, and bridges science and society. It is already recognised as a national reference in science and innovation, further strengthening its role as a leading innovation hub.

ITQB NOVA, located in Oeiras, is a premier research institute specializing in life sciences, chemistry, and related technologies, with 50 labs and 500 researchers. It advances high-level research and education focused on health, environment, and sustainability. The institute fosters career development, industry partnerships, and spin-offs. ITQB NOVA leads the Ciência + Cidadã program in colaboration with Oeiras Municipality, engaging citizen scientists in collaborative projects, promoting public involvement, co-creation, and bridging science with the wider community.

The Oeiras Experimenta team includes over 30 scientists and collaborators from ITQB NOVA and the Oeiras Municipality, along with NGOs, partners, and more than 100 citizen scientists working together to rethink agriculture in response to climate change. Based at Quinta de Cima do Marquês de Pombal in Oeiras, this living lab investigates climate-resilient crops—such as grass pea, sorghum, quinoa, millets, and dryland rice—while fostering science education, sustainability, and inclusion. The project connects science and society, engaging citizens, schools, and policymakers in co-creating a resilient future.

Elisabete Brigadeiro is Head of the Science and Innovation Office at Oeiras Municipality, where she leads the local science and technology strategy, partnerships, and programs in scientific literacy, innovation, and citizen science. With a degree in Sociology and a postgrad in Population Studies, she has broad experience in science communication, project management, and public administration. She also coordinated the Culture Division and was Director of Communication. Elisabete is also a founding member of a Research Centre in Social and Human Sciences.

Maria João Leão coordinates the Ciência+Cidadã Programme at ITQB NOVA, promoting a citizen science strategy in collaboration with Oeiras Municipality and partners. She has broad experience in science communication, fundraising, and public involvement in science. From 2012–2022, she was Executive Director of non-profit Association Maratona da Saúde in partnership with RTP Public Portuguese television. She holds degrees in Biology, Biotechnology, and a PhD in Virology and Cancer. She is active in RPCC (Portuguese Citizen Science Network), IMPETUS Citizens Panel and SciComPT.

Rubén Vicente is Principal Investigator at IRNASA-CSIC and ITQB NOVA. He earned his PhD (2010–2015) studying wheat responses to climate change. He held postdocs in Barcelona and at the Max Planck Institute, focusing on field phenotyping and carbon assimilation via trehalose metabolism. Since 2020, he leads the Plant Ecophysiology and Metabolism Lab at ITQB NOVA and from 2024 Tenured Scientist at IRNASA-CSIC (Spain). His research focuses on abiotic stress responses, carbon and nitrogen metabolism, and traits for crop improvement and climate-resilient agriculture.

Carlota Vaz Patto is a Principal Investigator at ITQB NOVA, where she leads the Plant Sciences Division and PlantX Lab. Her research focuses on the genetic basis of complex traits in legumes, including stress resistance and nutritional quality. She uses statistical genetics and genomics to study crops like grass pea and common bean. With over 20 years in participatory research, she connects breeding science with end-users. She is also Vice President of the International Legume Society.

Isabel A. Abreu holds a PhD in Biochemistry (2002, NOVA Lisbon). After research in the US (BNL and Rockefeller Univ.), she joined ITQB NOVA, where she leads the Proteome Regulation in Plants lab. Her work focuses on how post-translational modifications regulate plant responses to stress. She secured 17 grants (4 as PI) and authored 50 publications (>3,300 citations, h-index 29). She supervises MSc, PhD, and postdocs, teaches in graduate programs, and is Vice-Director of Green-it and member of ITQB NOVA’s Council.

Omar Vergara Diaz holds a PhD (2019) from the University of Barcelona, where he studied crop responses to biotic and abiotic stresses and developed high-throughput phenotyping tools. He gained expertise in spectroscopy, imaging, and metabolic, anatomical, and isotopic analysis. He held research internships at CIMMYT, INIA, and MPI-MP. Since 2021, he is a postdoc at ITQB NOVA and was awarded a CEEC fellowship in 2022. His research focuses on crop ecophysiology under climate change. He co-leads EU projects and represents Portugal in PANGEOS Cost Action.

Inês Sardinha is driven by a passion for Nature, Sustainability and Life. She has a Master's degree in Veterinary Medicine and is currently a project manager at Oeiras Experimenta. In her career, she has participated in Citizen Science initiatives, promoting scientific literacy and community involvement, collaborating in the organisation of scientific events and participatory visits, and in the articulation between various stakeholders and project partners, always with a focus on generating positive impact for people and the planet, in a sustainable way.

Ana Fortunato holds a Biochemistry degree (1996) from Universidade de Lisboa and a PhD in Biology (2006) from Universidade Nova de Lisboa. She is a researcher at ITQB NOVA’s Green-it unit, studying plant responses to environmental stresses using physiology, biochemistry, and molecular biology. Ana also promotes science dissemination and trains primary and secondary school teachers. Recently, she joined the citizen science project Oeiras Experimenta and collaborates as a science consultant in Oeiras schools’ science clubs.

João Reis is a PhD student in Plant Biology at ITQB-NOVA, developing his research within the Oeiras Experimenta citizen science project. He holds a BSc in Biotechnology from the University of the Algarve and an MSc in Molecular and Microbial Biology, where he focused on plant genomics and breeding. His PhD research explores the effects of climate change on the productivity of major cereal crops, aiming to support the development of sustainable agricultural practices and promote long-term global food security.

Carmen Santos is a biologist with a Bachelor’s and Master’s in Cellular Biology and Biotechnology from Lisbon University, and a PhD in Molecular Genetics from NOVA University (2017). Her expertise includes plant-pathogen interactions, molecular genetics, and breeding for disease resistance. She has contributed to 10 research projects, published 21 articles, and given 63 presentations. Since 2019, she is an FCT researcher at ITQB NOVA, focusing on genetic responses of Lathyrus species to fungal diseases.

Susana T. Leitão is a Junior Researcher at ITQB NOVA, working in molecular quantitative genetics for legume breeding. She holds a PhD in Plant Sciences (2020), focused on stress interactions in common bean. She has worked on national and EU projects (e.g., DIVERSify, DiVicia), exploring genetic variation, disease resistance, drought tolerance, and quality traits. She applies GWAS, QTL analysis, and transcriptomics, with 19 publications and 269+ citations. Her work supports sustainable agriculture through improved crop traits.

Maria Mina holds a degree and Master’s in Agricultural Engineering from Instituto Superior de Agronomia, Lisbon (2022). She worked at Tradecorp in 2023 managing field trials on nutritional products across Portugal. In January 2024, she joined Field Trials Services, S.L. in Seville as an agricultural technician. Since June 2024, Maria works at ITQB-NOVA as a research technician in the European project DIVINFOOD, focusing on grass pea breeding within the PlantX group.

Renata Ramalho has a Bachelor and a Master’s degree in Communication. In the last 20 years, she has led communication teams in the Portuguese Mathematical Society, at the Cabinet of the Minister for Education and Science and at FCT, the Portuguese Science funding agency. From 2019 to 2024, she coordinated the Communication Office of ITQB NOVA, working in several projects to bring science closer to society through events, schools, media and citizen science projects. Since July 2024, Ramalho is an adviser to the Secretary of State for Science in Portugal.

Luís Morgado is a designer at ITQB NOVA, specializing in visual communication and graphic design. With a strong background in creative problem-solving, he develops engaging designs that support scientific research and outreach. Luís collaborates closely with researchers to translate complex ideas into clear, impactful visuals for presentations, publications, and digital media. His work enhances the visibility and understanding of ITQB NOVA’s projects, contributing to effective science communication and public engagement.

Maria José Amândio holds a degree in Geography and a master’s in Documentation and Information Sciences from FLUL. Since 1996, she has worked at the Municipality of Oeiras, first in the Library Network and now as coordinator of the Science and Society Unit. She develops projects to promote scientific culture, citizen science, creativity, and science education, fostering collaboration with local R&D and higher education institutions.

Alexandra Melo de Vasconcelos is a sociologist, holds a postgraduate degree in Local Government Management, and is currently a PhD candidate in Political Science. She has been part of the Municipality of Oeiras since 1995, where she participated in housing resettlement programs and led the Department of Education for several years. A former parliamentary advisor, she now works in the Office for Science and Innovation, fostering connections between higher education, scientific research, and territorial development, with community involvement.

Paula Santos is a project manager in the fields of energy, environment, and sustainable development, with experience in public administration. She works at the Science and Innovation Office of the Municipality of Oeiras. She holds a degree in Environmental Management and a master's in Territorial Management. Paula coordinates multidisciplinary projects focused on energy efficiency, urban planning, and European funding, standing out for her cross-sector coordination and promotion of strategic partnerships

Sílvia Tacanho is a Technical Assistant at the Office of Science and Innovation of the Municipality of Oeiras, working within the Science and Society Unit. She manages GCI activities under the Oeiras Educa + Program, supporting initiatives that bring science, education, and the community closer together. Currently completing a degree in Social Sciences, she combines academic knowledge with professional practice, contributing to the promotion of scientific culture and active citizenship in the municipality of Oeiras.

Selma Rodrigues is graduated in Environmental Management, she is the current Head of the Environmental Management Division of the Municipality of Oeiras. She assumes the coordination of actions, projects and means that aim to promote the measures of management, maintenance and monitoring of the urban environment of the municipality. Will do the overall coordination of the project and team.

Sara Almeida has a degree in Biology from the Higher Institute of Agronomy of the University of Lisbon. She is responsible for the elaboration and implementation of actions inherent to the Strategy for the Biodiversity of the Municipality of Oeiras. She has also coordinated European-funded projects in the area of nature conservation and biodiversity, as well as projects to raise awareness and promote environmental literacy involving young people and adults.

Luis Macedo is a senior technician at the Municipality of Oeiras with over 20 years of experience. He holds a degree in Environmental Management and a Master's in Environment, Territory and Sustainable Development. He led the Urban Hygiene Unit and coordinated cleaning, waste, and river management teams. He co-authored a study on controlling giant reed (Arundo donax) in Oeiras’ rivers with the University of Lisbon and contributed to the municipality’s Strategic Plan for Water Lines.

Giovanna Dellarole has been a citizen scientist in the Oeiras Experimenta project since 2023, actively involved in fieldwork, lab activities, public communication, and scientific events. Working closely with researchers, she contributed to sowing, data collection using technical tools, and lab analysis. Though her career was in the Foreign Department of Banco de Portugal for 35 years, she always had a passion for science. Now retired, she embraces this project fully, balancing it with her love for sports, dance, music, writing, painting, and culture.

This project is based on a farm which is being restored, with the local community involved in identifying drought-resistant crops and more resilient agricultural practices. The jury was impressed at the range of partners who have been reached through the project, including local food businesses who have been engaged to create new recipes based on the crops grown. The jury especially liked the format of the participatory visit, and the combination of academic outputs (publications) plus art and design outputs.