SCIENCE CENTRE AGENT – A PROFILE
The Science Centre Agent is the person/manager that focuses on developing a science
centre (SC) into a catalyst of innovation, involving and connecting local/regional actors of
innovation, the SC and the public in a dynamic way.
S/he acts as central contact point and as a strategic facilitator for innovation issues, inside
and outside the science centre institution.
Mission & Function
The Science Centre Agent is dedicated to the idea that science centres should become
catalysts of innovation.
The main responsibilities of the Science Centre Agent are:

to maintain an overview on innovative concepts, projects and stakeholders relevant to
the science centre locally, regionally and SEE-wide and initiate their representation
within the SC:

to collect and spread ideas, maintain contacts to key people and institutions, facilitate
meetings, initiate collaborations and based on these to define new or modified SC
projects/services;

to motivate colleagues within a science centre to engage in innovative activities and
thinking;

to expand his/her scope by exchanging with colleagues of the international Science
Centre Agent network within the SEE science project;

to complement SC sponsoring activities, which mainly focus on raising revenues for
the SC, and to complement SC public relation activities, aiming at strengthening the
image and visibility of the SC, by consolidating connections with regard to innovative
content, and working towards fostering innovation capacity.
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Relations & Communication
The Science Centre Agent relates to four groups:

colleagues inside the science centre institution who are in charge of managing the
SC, who are in charge of SC services for the public, who are in charge of PR, and
those who are in charge of sponsoring;

stakeholders of the innovation system (policy actors, research institutions,
enterprises/companies – small to large);

the public as represented by visitors of science centre activities;

the international SEE SCIENCE network.
Personality & Background
The Science Centre Agent is a pro-active, open-minded and curious person. S/he is an
innovative thinker as well as a good facilitator with excellent networking and communication
skills. The ideal Science Centre Agent combines scientific background with communication
expertise and has an understanding of science centre dynamics as well as an affinity
towards economic mindsets.
SC Agent’s tasks and functions in the Application Form:

to carry out benchmark study on SC good practices;

to help SCs extend their competences and functions;

to strengthen linkages with regional innovation actors;

to build up SC network in SEE region and beyond;

to assist in the increase of the visibility of SC activities/raise public awareness on the
importance of sciences, technological progress and innovation.
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Note to SEE SCIENCE partners:
The SC Agent profile is deliberately devised so that it adaptable to the needs of your
institution. Some examples:
If you are a science centre, the SC Agent could be one of your senior explainers specialising
on innovation issues. Part of their work could be close direct contact with the public,
encouraging them to participate in new activities on innovation. Or the SC Agent could be a
staff member intensifying contacts to potential corporate sponsors by focusing on their area
of expertise.
If you are working towards developing a science centre, the SC Agent could focus on
establishing the connections to innovative companies in the region with a view to
incorporating their content in a future science centre.
If you are a network, the SC Agent could stress innovation as an issue within the network,
encouraging partners to develop their science centre activities towards fostering innovation.
etc.
So please take the profile as a framework to specify the intended role for your own institution.
We foresee that the exchange between the SEE SCIENCE Agents will over the project time
inspire SC Agents to further develop their role.
The Science Centre Agent is a ROLE inside each institution. It is likely that the Agent will
simultaneously fulfil various roles, especially in small institutions.
Thus, a SC Agent could at the same time fulfil the roles of SEE SCIENCE project manager,
communication manager, PR manager, explainer, etc.
However, it is important that this person devotes part of his/her working time to the agenda of
the SC Agent as described in the mission & function above. This will ensure that work within
the SEE SCIENCE project will not only serve to fulfil pre-defined activities, tasks and
deadlines, but that it will serve a continuous, long-term and open-ended development of
science centres into catalysts of innovation.
The term “Science Centre Agent” might evoke inappropriate associations (007  ). Thus,
please feel free to use a term better suited to your definition and language. For reports
however, we will stick to “SC Agent” to conform with the Application Form.
Version 3, 24.8.2011; SCN
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