The Natural History and Science Museum of the University of Porto and Ciência Viva will host the 28th Annual Conference of Ecsite, the European network of science centres and museums, between 15 and 17 June 2017. The largest of its kind in Europe, the Ecsite conference is open to everyone interested in public engagement with science. With “Life Everywhere” as a motto, participants are invited to celebrate life, celebrate the extraordinary diversity of forms evolving in our planet for millions of years, celebrate our existence. In this respect, a call for session proposals has been launched, open to the following formats:

• Interactive session / workshop, a practical, interactive and participative session enabling in-depth exploration of one topic
• Panel session, involving up to four speakers and one convenor who provide different perspectives on one topic
• Reverse session, wherein speakers provide a short introduction on one topic and guide an open discussion with participants
• Travelling exhibitions session, where 20 speakers have four minutes each to present their new travelling exhibition(s)
• Poster showcase, which present collaborative projects through a poster and a presentation.

Organisers of the Ecsite Conference 2017 invite interested participants to devise cool ideas, work with partners and design proposals well. Extensive guidance to prepare proposals is available on the conference's website. The website and social media channels of #Ecsite2017 will also help to identify partners in other countries. Further to the general information about the conference and its call for proposals, the Ecsite website also indicates that travel grants may be available through the European Commission's Erasmus+ programme. In addition, 12 free one-day passes are available for speakers who can convince the conference programme committee that they will contribute novel topics, angles or session formats. The call for session proposals is open until 16 October. Applications for free one-day passes may be sent until 23 October. Information about the Ecsite conference 2017 and the call for session proposals is available at http://www.ecsite.eu/annual-conference