Ecsite - European network of science centres and museums

What Ecsite - European network of science centres and museums does

Ecsite (legal name: Association Européenne des Expositions Scientifiques, Techniques et Industrielles AISBL) is a Belgian-registered international nonprofit association founded in 1989 and headquartered in Brussels. It is the pan-European network for science centres, museums, natural history museums, science festivals, aquariums, and science communication faculties, representing more than 300 member organisations across Europe and globally. The organisation's stated mission is to connect, inspire and empower science engagement organisations and professionals.

Ecsite's core "products" are programmatic rather than technological. It runs the annual Ecsite Conference (held continuously since 1989, with Ecsite 2026 and 2027 editions on the calendar), national and international Directors Forums, the Ecsite Leadership Programme, the Ecsite Awards, and four formal professional communities of practice (Research & Evaluation Group, Diversci, Marketing Community, Open Schooling together). It also operates the Ecsite Marketplace, a peer-to-peer platform listing more than 100 travelling exhibitions available for hire between members. Distribution is handled through events, a member directory, and a Wild Apricot-powered newsletter.

The business model is a multi-stream association model. Revenue is generated through annual membership subscriptions, conference and event registration fees, corporate sponsorship of the annual conference (COSM, YIPP, VISIT, World Touring Exhibitions, TEO, LIP, EDG, ESA), and EU-funded research and innovation project grants. The organisation coordinates or participates in a long-running pipeline of EU projects — including DOORS, TechEthos, SocKETs, Make it Open, GlobalSCAPE, RETHINK, GRACE, EU-Citizen.Science, spaceEU and others — that fund consortium activities and staff time. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; membership is billed annually and tiered by organisation type. The organisation employs approximately 30 staff and is governed by an elected Board led by President Maria João Fonseca (University of Porto) and Executive Director Catherine Franche, with the Annual General Assembly as the ultimate governing body.

Name

Ecsite - European network of science centres and museums

Legal name

Association Européenne des Expositions Scientifiques, Techniques et Industrielles AISBL

Website

https://ecsite.eu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Ecsite is the Brussels-based pan-European nonprofit network of more than 300 science centres, museums, and science engagement organisations, founded in 1989. It operates the annual Ecsite Conference, Directors Forums, professional communities, a travelling-exhibition Marketplace, and coordinates EU-funded science engagement projects.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Science Centre and Museum Association Services

NAICS

Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Museums & Heritage Sites (History, Science, Specialty) (BPAGAHAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Conferences & Conventions Operations Services (Registration, AV, Logistics) (MPAGAGAM)

Keywords

• Science centre network
• Museum association
• Science communication
• Public engagement
• EU project coordination

Headquarters

HQ city

Brussels

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership fees: Ecsite generates revenue through membership fees from over 300 member organizations across the globe, including science centres, museums, natural history museums, science festivals, aquariums, and science communication faculties.
2. Conference and event revenue: The annual Ecsite Conference and Directors Forums generate revenue from registration fees. The conference is open to both members and non-members.
3. Sponsorships: Corporate sponsors including COSM, YIPP, VISIT, World Touring Exhibitions, TEO, LIP, EDG, and ESA sponsor the annual conference and organization activities.
4. EU project funding: Ecsite participates in and coordinates numerous EU-funded research and innovation projects, which provide project-based funding for consortium activities and staff positions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Ecsite is a Brussels-based nonprofit membership association that connects, supports, and represents more than 300 science centres, museums, natural history museums, science festivals, aquariums, and science communication faculties across Europe. It delivers its value through annual conferences, directors forums, professional development programmes, themed communities of practice, the Ecsite Marketplace for travelling exhibitions, awards, and participation in EU-funded research and innovation projects.

Product overview

Ecsite is a network association rather than a product company. It provides member services including annual conferences (Ecsite Conference), Directors Forums, International Directors Forums, member activities (Leadership Programme, Awards, Communities such as Research & Evaluation Group, Diversci, Marketing Community, Open Schooling Together), EU Projects participation, a Marketplace for travelling exhibitions, a Member Directory, and various resources and publications. The organization connects science centres, museums, natural history museums, science festivals, aquariums, and science communication faculties across Europe. No distinct branded software products or modules were identified.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Ecsite Conference Annual flagship conference for science engagement professionals, open to members and non-members, featuring programme tracks, trade exhibition, and networking for the European science centre and museum community.
• Directors Forum National Directors Forums providing exclusive peer networking for senior leaders of European science centres and museums.
• International Directors Forum Forum convening directors from across the global Science Engagement networks for cross-regional leadership exchange.
• Ecsite Marketplace Marketplace enabling Ecsite member organisations to list and hire travelling exhibitions covering diverse scientific and educational topics.
• Ecsite Awards Awards programme recognising excellence and innovation among Ecsite member organisations in science engagement.
• Ecsite Leadership Programme Professional leadership development programme for staff and directors of Ecsite member science centres and museums.
• Ecsite Communities of Practice Themed communities of practice (Research & Evaluation Group, Diversci, Marketing Community, Open Schooling Together) providing ongoing peer learning for members with shared professional interests.
• EU Projects Coordination Coordination and participation in EU-funded research and innovation projects (e.g. PLACES, FEAST, DESIRE, DOORS, GlobalSCAPE, GRACE, spaceEU, SYNENERGENE) that bring together science engagement organisations across Europe.

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core, moderate and minor.

• Asia Pacific Network of Science and Technology Centers (ASPAC)coreOthersSister network representing the Asia Pacific region. Ecsite is one of six Science Engagement networks globally.
• Association of Science-Technology Centers (ASTC)coreOthersSister network representing the North American region among the six global Science Engagement networks.
• Network for the Popularization of Science and Technology in Latin America and The Caribbean (RedPOP)coreOthersSister network representing Latin America and The Caribbean region.
• North Africa and Middle East science centres (NAMES)coreOthersSister network representing North Africa and Middle East region.
• Southern African Association of Science and Technology Centres (SAASTEC)coreOthersSister network representing the Southern African region.
• European Citizen Science association (ECSA)moderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerECSA maintains close links with Ecsite. Both organisations work on citizen science initiatives and public engagement in science.
• European Space Agency (ESA)moderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerESA is listed among European partners with whom Ecsite maintains close relationships. ESA sponsors the Ecsite 2026 Conference.
• European Schoolnet (EUN)moderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerEcsite collaborates with European Schoolnet on education and school engagement projects, including the DESIRE project coordinated by EUN.
• COSMminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCOSM is a 2026 Conference Sponsor, providing financial support for the annual conference.
• YIPPminorGTM or Marketing PartnerYIPP is a 2026 Conference Sponsor.
• VISITminorGTM or Marketing PartnerVISIT is a 2026 Conference Sponsor.
• World Touring Exhibitions (WTE)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerWorld Touring Exhibitions is a 2026 Conference Sponsor and provides travelling exhibitions through the Ecsite Marketplace.
• TEOminorGTM or Marketing PartnerTEO is a 2026 Conference Sponsor.
• LIPminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLIP is a 2026 Conference Sponsor.
• Exhibits Development Group (EDG)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerEDG is a 2026 Conference Sponsor and member providing travelling exhibitions.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• American Alliance of Museums (AAM): Larger and broader US-based museum association covering all museum types rather than specialising in science centres; offers overlapping member services, advocacy, and annual events at greater scale.
• International Council of Museums (ICOM): Global museum organisation with a much wider membership scope encompassing all museum disciplines; provides comparable convening, standards, and advocacy services at a larger scale than Ecsite's science-focused niche.

Regional players

• British Science Association: UK-focused science engagement organisation operating with a similar membership/community model, annual events (British Science Festival), and policy advocacy remit, but limited to a single national market.

Direct peers

• North Africa and Middle East science centres (NAMES): Sister regional network for North Africa and the Middle East, providing the same association model connecting science centres and museums in the region, including conferences and capacity-building programmes.
• Southern African Association of Science and Technology Centres (SAASTEC): Sister network for Southern Africa with the same science centre and technology centre association model, including annual events and member services structurally comparable to Ecsite.
• Network for the Popularization of Science and Technology in Latin America and The Caribbean (RedPOP): Sister network for Latin America and the Caribbean, operating as a membership association for science engagement institutions with similar convening, training, and project-coordination functions.
• Association of Science-Technology Centers (ASTC): Sister network for North America among the six global science engagement networks; operates the same membership association model connecting science centres and museums, with comparable annual conference and professional programmes.
• Asia Pacific Network of Science and Technology Centres (ASPAC): Sister network representing Asia Pacific; runs the same membership association structure for science centres and technology centres, with annual conferences and professional development offerings analogous to Ecsite's.

Others

• European Schoolnet (EUN): Brussels-based network of European education ministries collaborating on EU-funded education projects; closely partners with Ecsite on science education initiatives and shares overlapping EU project funding channels.
• European Citizen Science Association (ECSA): Brussels-based association with overlapping European science engagement mission and shared member institutions; closely collaborates with Ecsite on citizen science initiatives and public engagement programmes.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ecsite-network

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles23 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ecsite - European network of science centres and museums