Developing a permanent exhibition is a crucial moment for most museums. Developers face many challenges which range from how to communicate science content in a permanent, engaging and accessible way. In contemporary society this challenge assumes a new and interesting meaning. The permanent exhibition are not any more a simple exhibition of objects as part of the academic knowledge of the curators but became a space where many new elements of contemporary science communication take a new shape and propel us to consider how to be engaging and accessible, how to involve many perspectives on the content, involving civil society, artists, young people, and policymakers.

Dialogue and engagement are key elements of innovation in science communication. And dialogue and engagement are more easily integrated in education activities than in permanent exhibitions. This session will focus on the strategies adopted to embed these elements in permanent exhibitions. Traditionally, scientific curators and technical academic knowledge have been the key development ingredients of permanent exhibitions. However, innovation from the past year saw diverse expertise collaborating to create permanent exhibitions.

The contribution of educators and other professionals in this innovation has been relevant and interpreted in different ways by different institutions. The session aims to propose different perspectives about how educators and professionals interpreted and implemented this innovation not just in terms of the final output of the exhibition but also in the development process.