Highlights from the ASDC CEO Awayday 2026

Last month, 32 senior leaders from across the UK science engagement landscape gathered in Edinburgh for the annual ASDC CEO Awayday. Held at Dynamic Earth, the event focused on the realities facing the sector, including tightening funding environments, rising operational pressures, and the increasingly complex role organisations play in public life.

The day was shaped and guided by ASDC, bringing in sector relevant data, resources and insights to each stage of the day.

The keynote from Steph Wright, CEO/MD and Co-Founder of Our AI Collective CIC set the tone, challenging delegates to examine dominant narratives around artificial intelligence and consider how science engagement organisations can support more informed, critical public understanding of emerging technologies.

The panel session ‘Navigating uncertain funding landscapes’ was chaired by Lesley Miles, Chief - Programmes, Partnerships and Engagement at the Royal Society. A panel of CEOs from large and small science and discovery centres, museums and festivals shared their experiences, prompting a full room discussion around what has fundamentally changed since 2019, what traditional funding models are holding us back, who is navigating this well - and where the opportunities lie in the next 5 years.

Thinking around how we position ourselves as a sector moving forward linked perfectly into the workshop session which was a deep dive into articulating impact for science engagement organisations. Expertly led by Hannah Collins, designed to draw on the experience in the room, small group work, case study ideas, discussion and follow up provided CEOs with practical, actionable steps to capturing best practice.

The discussion returned repeatedly to a central tension: organisations in this space sit at a rare intersection of cutting-edge science and public trust, a position seen as both a strength and a responsibility that cannot be taken for granted.

Lesley Miles shared headlines from the new Science in Society report (due to be published on 19th May) and explored the importance of robust evidence, credibility and clear articulation of impact in a landscape where funders and policymakers are increasingly focused on measurable outcomes. The session highlighted the ongoing need for the sector to strengthen how it communicates value - not just what it does, but why it matters.

Chris Dunford, Sustainability and Science Director at We The Curious, brought a practitioner-led lens on adopting AI, sharing the work We The Curious is taking an experimental approach to its application: surveying staff, piloting projects, testing tools and measuring performance. Chris shared findings from this experiment so far, including examples and learnings for others.

Across discussions, several shared messages stood out:

• Public trust is non-negotiable: long-earned credibility must be protected as organisations operate at the intersection of science and society.
• Articulating impact: how do we raise visibility of science engagement to ensure it’s seen as essential?
• Strategic tension is growing: forcing harder choices about priorities. Change is necessary, but not at the expense of the sector's "heart" - its connection to people, place and purpose.
• Collaboration is essential: while each organisation is distinct, collective strength remains critical for influence and resilience.

CEOs shared their thanks and appreciation for ASDC bringing sector leaders together, giving them time to network and learn from each other. One delegate shared:

The day closed with a clear sense that while the challenges are significant, so too is the opportunity for the sector to define a stronger, more unified voice and to continue shaping how science is understood, valued and experienced across society.