The European Network of Science Centers and Museums (Ecsite) has revealed the programme for the 28th edition of its annual conference, coming to Porto, Portugal in June.

Co-organised by Ecsite and local hosts the Natural History and Science Museum of the University of Porto and the Ciência Viva network, more than 1,100 professionals from 50 countries are expected to attend the event – the industry-leading conference on science and public engagement.

Close to 400 people across more than 100 sessions will speak at the event, which combines two days of workshops and a three-day conference.

This year’s conference takes the theme of “Life Everywhere” with the message being a celebration of the diversity of life formed over millions of years, celebrating existence.

Nina Simon, the author of The Participatory Museum and The Art of Relevance, and Alice Roberts, anthropologist and professor of public engagement in science at the University of Birmingham, will be delivering this year's keynote speeches.

Simon, who is executive director of the Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History, led an institutional turnaround based on grassroots community participation. Roberts has been a regular on British television since 2001, when she appeared on Time Team Live. Since then she has presented several landmark series including the BBC’s The Incredible Human Journey, Are We Still Evolving? and Origins of Us, as well as several Horizon programmes and the long-running Digging for Britain.

“Life Everywhere is not just about biodiversity, but also about human lives and living everywhere, about the free circulation of people and ideas – and the city of Porto is particularly symbolic in this regard. It is a port, a harbour, a place to both start a journey and welcome people from all walks of life,” said Carlos Alves Catalão, board member and co-host for this year’s conference.

“You will find in the city of Porto the ideal location to celebrate the core values of Ecsite, particularly the values of inclusiveness and cooperation. In a time when free circulation and inclusiveness are increasingly under threat it is of utmost importance that we all gather around these values.”

The Ecsite conference takes place between 15-17 June. For more information and to register, click here.

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