Welcome to BUGS, a citizen-science project launched by our research team at the Department of Bioscience Engineering of the University of Antwerp with the support of IMPETUS!

BUGS stands for “Benefits of Urban Green Spaces”. What do we mean by this? Urban green spaces can be any green area in cities, from large parks with lots of vegetation to small squares with a few trees. These green spaces can be hotspots of biodiversity, from large trees to the tiniest microorganisms commonly known as “microbes” or “bugs”.

Launched in July 2024, our project explores how urban green spaces contribute to human health. We are especially interested in the positive impact of the microorganisms living in urban green spaces, as we think that exposure to these natural microorganisms can train and regulate the human immune system. This might even help us prevent immune diseases such as allergies and asthma!

We also want to help ensure that these fantastic urban green spaces are accessible and enjoyable for all citizens by exploring how different people experience these spaces. On the long term, our research aims to help transform urban green spaces into free health-promoting areas that can benefit everyone. Would you like to help us achieve this?

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This project is funded by

IMPETUS is funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement number 101058677. Views and opinions expressed are, however, those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Research Executive Agency (REA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

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