ASDC Membership

On this page:
 Who we are
Benefits for you and your staff
2013 Annual fees
How do I join?

Who we are

The UK Association for Science and Discovery Centres (ASDC) brings together over 60 major science engagement organisations in the UK.

Together we strive for a society where people of all ages and backgrounds have an opportunity to enjoy and explore science, and feel a sense of shared ownership over its direction.

Each year our members engage over 20 million people with the wonders of science.

Our membership includes:

Together our members make up the UK’s largest publicly accessible network dedicated to both informal science learning and family science engagement. Collectively they employ thousands of dedicated science engagement professionals.

We warmly welcome to our membership, all organisations who share our vision of a society where people are intrigued, inspired and involved with the sciences.

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What are the benefits to you and your staff?

Lobbying and Advocacy
ASDC works with government departments, MPs and national and public bodies to champion inspirational science learning and to increase the strategic role our members play in the nation's engagement with science.

Bringing staff across the UK together
We facilitate the sharing of knowledge, skills, ideas and best practice between the thousands of staff in our member organisations across the UK. We hold seminars and training sessions targeted at specific staff, on topics ranging from business excellence to dialogue techniques. We also partner with members to run national meetings on specialist content such as climate science or the latest discussions in human genetics.

Funding, PR and other opportunities
We create national PR and publicity opportunities for members (for example, with the BBC and print media). We speak with national funders and alert members to the latest funding opportunities and disseminate a variety of other collaborative possibilities such as travelling exhibitions.

Offering collaborative projects to our members
We seek funds and partnerships for national strategic projects and invite members to participate. These include national skills and training projects as well as content specific projects such as The National Hands-on DNA project and our national strategic partnership with the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC).

Raising the profile of our members
We raise the profile of our members with the UK’s major national charitable trusts,industrial partners, science organisations, learned societies, and universities.

Advice, support and a central point of contact
ASDC acts as the central point of contact for the sector sharing the latest news and opportunities. We also offer advice on collaborative funding applications and provide introductions to others in the field. We work closely with science and discovery centres across Europe and worldwide, and we are happy to advise and introduce our members.

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2013 Annual Fees

We welcome all science and discovery centres, museums, environment centres, other science engagement organisations and university departments who share our vision of inspiring and involving people with science.

Please note:
 The special rate of £350 for university departments is for public engagement and science education departments within universities. The membership is per department, not per university. Small centres or museums who are part of the university and attract visitors should join as small centres.

The reduced rate of £525 for Science and Discovery Centres is specially to assist:

Please click here for information about the change to membership fees in 2013

Supporting Members and Commercial Associates

We warmly welcome enquiries from visionary public, charitable and commercial bodies who support and fund inspirational science engagement activities. Please contact us for further details.

We welcome commercial organisations who offer products and services supporting our sector. This includes:

Please contact us for details about Commercial Associate Memberships.

Our Commercial Associates are offered visibility with our membership, for example:

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How do I join?

For more information, simply telephone the ASDC office on the number below or email us at info@sciencecentres.org.uk with ‘Membership Enquiry’ in the subject line.

Our memberships for 2013 will run from April - March and new members will need to be approved by the ASDC Board. All full members can vote at the AGM and can stand for election to the ASDC Board. All new members must demonstrate scientific integrity in their work and sign up to the Ecsite statement on Science and Evolution.

Each year we update our map. To ensure you feature on our printed map, used for lobbying, please ensure your payment is recieved by 20th May 2013.

For further details please contact us at:
The UK's Association for Science and Discovery Centres
The Watershed, 1 Canon’s Road, Harbourside, Bristol, BS1 5TX
Tel +44 (0)117 915 0181
info@sciencecentres.org.uk with 'Membership Enquiry' in the subject line.

2012 ASDC Brochure

 

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