HealthFerm Project Receives Honorary Mention in EU Prize for Citizen Science 2025

The European research project HealthFerm has been awarded an Honorary Mention in the 2025 EU Prize for Citizen Science. Out of 409 applicants, only 27 projects across Europe received this distinction, highlighting HealthFerm’s innovative approach to engaging citizens in groundbreaking microbiome research.

Recognising Citizen Engagement in Science

The EU Prize for Citizen Science, coordinated by Ars Electronica on behalf of the European Commission, celebrates projects that combine scientific excellence with meaningful societal impact. HealthFerm’s recognition underscores the importance of co-creation between researchers and citizens in shaping the future of food, health and sustainability. HealthFerm and other awarded projects were presented during the official award ceremony at the Ars Electronica Festival 2025 which took place in Linz, Austria on 4 September 2025.

Dedicated Citizen Scientists

Participating citizens were very committed to the project and nearly all would participate again in similar studies. They were mostly curious about the analysis of their own sourdoughs, but equally excited to actively participate and contribute to scientific research. One of their highlights was receiving their personalised reports learning the details about their sourdoughs.

More about HealthFerm

Since its launch in 2023, the project has:

• Collected more than 900 fermentation samples and over a thousand survey responses from across Europe.
• Performed advanced microbiome analyses (DNA sequencing, metabolomics) to better understand food biodiversity and its effects on health.
• Developed a citizen feedback loop, providing participants with personalised insights into their sourdough microbiomes.
• Laid the groundwork for a public “Fermentation Atlas” linking foods, microbial communities, genomes, and metabolic functions. The Atlas will be released in summer 2026.