Dear Members,

First and foremost, I would like to extend my sincere gratitude for your contributions to the 2025 Member Survey. The remarkable response rate we received will give us the opportunity to develop initiatives that align with your needs and inputs, enhancing the value of Ecsite for all members. Thank you once again.

The Annual General Meeting is another opportunity for you to have your say in the future of our network, therefore, I encourage all members to attend online on 14 May from 10:00 to 12:30 CEST. The decision to hold the AGM online ensures that all members have the opportunity to participate. We hope to see you there!

As we come together to shape the future of our network, let’s have a look at the work done by the European Commission on skills shortages. To address this, the Commission release a strategy entitled the ‘Union of Skills’ on 5 March. It consists of initiatives to build skills for quality lives and jobs, upskill and reskill for the digital and green transition, circulate skills across the EU for competitiveness and attract, develop and retain talent for Europe’s future.

Most importantly for us, the Commission has recognised the vital role science centres, museums, universities, businesses, STEM organisations, research institutions and cultural associations play in inspiring the public to pursue careers in STEM. The breadth of our network is represented in this strategy as the Commission seeks to harness our expertise in public engagement with science by establishing pilot STEM education centres. The Commission plans for these centres to be developed in collaboration with many of the types of organisations that are represented in the Ecsite network and will be financed through the Erasmus+ scheme.

While this strategy has only just been announced, this is an exciting time for our network. Ecsite was instrumental in ensuring our field was represented in this document and we look forward to working further with the European Commission as the plan transitions to reality. If you haven’t already done so, it is a great opportunity for you to use the MEP Advocacy toolkit and ask your national governments to support this EU policy.

Finally, I would like to extend a warm welcome to all new members who have joined since the start of the year. Welcome to our network, you represent the geographic and professional diversity that makes our network so strong.

We are delighted to have you with us.

Best regards,

Bruno Maquart

President of Ecsite