Abstract
Citizen science has expanded globally in recent decades, yet its institutionalization in Israel has been relatively recent. In recognition of the potential of citizen science to advance biodiversity conservation, public engagement, and scientific research, the Israel Center for Citizen Science (ICCS) was formally launched in February 2025 after a five-year planning and preparation phase. Herein, we share the journey from concept to reality, highlighting how the unique setting of a natural history museum has fostered nationwide partnerships and collaborations spanning conservation organizations, youth groups, and local initiatives. This process extends beyond its local context, situating ICCS as a model for institutionalizing citizen science within museums and informal science institutions. We describe the principles that guided ICCS’s establishment, organized around five components that together capture the institutional, social, and scientific mechanisms needed to sustain citizen science: (1) institutional embedding and governance, (2) co-creation and stakeholder engagement, (3) infrastructure and resource integration, (4) capacity building and facilitation, and (5) research-informed practice. We illustrate the contribution of this model to both individual projects and the broader citizen science community through case studies of three initiatives of different scale and magnitude: The Big Backyard Bird Count, the School Nature Challenge, and the Snail Tales project. We conclude with a discussion on the opportunities and challenges ahead, and emphasize the contribution of this process as a model for other countries and institutions seeking to develop citizen science capacity.