Mechelen Declaration
19 March 2014

Introduction
The leaders of science centres and museums from 58 countries around the world came together at theScience Centre World Summit, in Mechelen, Belgium from March 17-19, 2014. This high-levelinternational gathering of 443 attendees built upon the contributions of the previous six World Congressmeetings held since 1996 on different continents. During this Summit, science centre leaders met with
global policy makers, scientists and leading business representatives to exchange ideas about science,
public engagement with science and the role that science communication and science centres shouldplay in our rapidly changing society. With a continuing commitment to impact, the science centre field
puts forward this Declaration as a worldwide action plan.
Since 1996, there has been a marked increase in the number of science-based public policy issues inareas such as climate and energy, pandemic disease, digital privacy and research. Public engagementwith science has increased, and the digital revolution that has radically changed our relationship withtechnology has created new modes of communication and learning. Science centres have shown aremarkable range of diverse responses, adapting to local contexts, responding to community needs andreflecting policies of inclusiveness. Governments, scientific enterprises, international institutions, multinational corporations and the education field all recognise that citizen engagement in current global
scientific and technological issues is crucial to the advancement, prosperity and welfare of everyone.
Nearly 3 000 science centres worldwide are spearheading hands-on, enquiry-based learning, and haveachieved a high trust rating among their more than 310 million annual participants.
Increasingly, science centres are moving beyond the traditional hands-on exploration of scientificphenomena.

Many centres are engaging with their audiences in the dialogues that address global

challenges, and equipping them to become active players within their communities – thereby helping toachieve the current Millennium Development Goals of the United Nations, and the Sustainable
Development Goals to be launched in 2015.
Science Centre World Impact
Considerable progress in our field has been made since the World Congress in 2011. Numerous newscience centres have been established - especially in Africa, Latin America, around the Mediterranean, in
Eastern Europe and in Asia - with increased attention to local context, indigenous knowledge and diverse

audiences. There are many more examples of increased dialogue between scientists and the generalpublic, through which public opinions on science and technology can be heard and incorporated into
decision-making. People are now better able to comment on science investment and policy development
processes, and are encouraged and educated to make active commitments to solving global and regionalproblems.

A significant increase in the extent to which science centres have promoted creativity,invention and innovation has led to more sustainable lifestyles.
The Science Centre World Summit 2014
There has been an unprecedented development of partnerships, promoting science awareness andengagement across cultural, political, economic and geographical boundaries. Stronger collaborations
have now been created with formal education, the arts, business, policy makers and media worldwide.
The Science Centre World Summit 2014 provided the opportunity to continue this process, to retool
existing partnerships and to build new collaborative efforts with shared visions for the future. It was avaluable occasion for addressing the challenges presented by continually changing multifaceted
circumstances for both science centres and partners.
The 2014 Summit worked to convince more policy makers, scientists, global companies and multinational institutions of the importance of collaborations with science centres throughout the world. Suchcollaborations will be steps towards the common goal of bridging the gap between citizens and scienceand technology, and thus to resolving many global problems. Science centres are not simply places
where visitors have nice learning experiences or a great time on a rainy afternoon; they are uniqueinstitutions that transform the way in which people of all ages think and act. Reinforcing the collaborations
will advance issues related to the public engagement with science and technology at a higher strategiclevel than before. At the same time, these partnerships will create a climate in which all parties support
one another’s messages and tasks.
Therefore science centres, worldwide, and their partners commit to these goals toward the future:
We will …
1. Investigate how to engage even more effectively with local communities and increasingly diverse
audiences, and keep the focus on gender differences in engagement.
2. Continue taking actions that have a positive global impact and that will make people everywheremore aware of the opportunities that science and technology hold for the sustainable advancement ofhumankind.
3. Draw the attention of decision makers and the media to the essential role of public engagement with
science and technology by setting up high-profile global activities.

2/3

4. Endeavour to leverage the position of science centres as “trusted” places to introduce the public to
new technological solutions and sustainable technologies, and to broaden the potential use of thesesolutions.
5. Take the lead in developing the best methods for engaging learners and optimizing their education inboth formal and informal settings using appropriate technologies in widely varying contexts.
6. Engage the public more directly with research, using this engagement to help empower people,
broaden attitudes and ensure that the work of universities and research institutions is relevant tosociety and to wider social concerns on a global scale.
7. Work together in a creative celebration of the International Science Centre Year 2019, encouraging
people throughout the world to take part in shared experiences relating to science and technology
and society.

3/3