THE ASSOCIATION FOR SCIENCE AND DISCOVERY CENTRES LBG

Their core work

ASDC is the UK membership body for science and discovery centres — the hands-on science museums and public science venues found in cities across Britain. Their core work is connecting and supporting these centres through shared programmes, advocacy, and national network coordination. In H2020, they contributed as a national network capable of mobilising science communicators and informal learning venues for citizen engagement and STEM outreach activities. Their value to EU consortia lies in their ability to reach the UK's public-facing science infrastructure — educators, science communicators, and youth audiences — through a single organisational entry point.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Both of ASDC's H2020 projects began in 2015, making a meaningful early-versus-late evolution difficult to detect within this dataset. The available keyword shift suggests that while CIMULACT (no keywords indexed) was focused on broad citizen participation in research policy, the Hypatia project added a sharper focus on gender equity in STEM through national network coordination. This points to a trajectory from general science engagement toward diversity and inclusion in science education, though the evidence base is too thin to claim this as a firm strategic shift.

Based on limited data, ASDC appears to be moving toward diversity and inclusion programming within informal science education, making them a relevant partner for projects addressing gender gaps, widening participation, or science communication to underrepresented groups.

How they like to work

ASDC has never coordinated an H2020 project, always joining as a participant or third party — consistent with a national membership body that contributes its network rather than leading research. Their two projects placed them inside large, cross-European consortia (CIMULACT is known for its 30+ country reach), confirming they work comfortably in complex multi-partner structures. Consortium builders should expect ASDC to deliver national-level mobilisation — access to UK science centres, educators, and public audiences — rather than technical research outputs.

Despite only two projects, ASDC's consortium footprint is substantial: 46 unique partners across 30 countries, reflecting participation in large, pan-European coordination actions. Their network is broad geographically but anchored in the informal science education and public engagement community.

What sets them apart

ASDC is the single gateway to the UK's network of science and discovery centres — a community of public-facing venues with established relationships with schools, families, and young people. Few organisations can offer this combination of national coverage, public trust, and hands-on science communication infrastructure. For any EU project needing credible UK-based public engagement or science outreach delivery, ASDC removes the need to build that network from scratch.

Highlights from their portfolio

• CIMULACT
  A flagship European citizen consultation exercise engaging the public across 30 countries to define Horizon 2020 research priorities — ASDC's most substantive EU role and the source of its entire recorded EC funding.
• Hypatia
  A dedicated gender-in-STEM initiative that used national science centre networks as delivery infrastructure, positioning ASDC as a connector between EU gender equity goals and informal science education venues.