Twenty Years of Connection and Impact

The North Africa and Middle East Science centers networks (NAMES) is proud to announce the 8^th NAMES Conference, celebrating the network's 20^th Anniversary. Hosted by The Scientific Center Kuwait, 7-9 April 2026, this milestone event calls upon our community to look forward, reflecting on our shared history while pioneering new directions for engagement.

In a rapidly changing world, the role of science centers and museums as crucial hubs for dialogue, innovation, and community development has never been more vital. The theme of NAMES 2026, Rethinking Engagement & Building Communities, recognizes that our greatest opportunity lies in moving beyond the physical walls of our institutions to foster deep, authentic, and relevant connections with the audiences and communities we serve.

The NAMES Conference Program Committee (NCPC 2026) invites you to contribute your expertise, insights, and innovative projects to help shape the future of science engagement through a program that is both regionally relevant and globally informed. This is your chance to share lessons learned, showcase impactful work, and collaborate on strategies that will define the next two decades for science engagement in our region.

Do not miss the opportunity to contribute your voice to NAMES 2026 program and be a part of this significant 20th-anniversary celebration. Your expertise is crucial to developing strategies that will strengthen our regional network and drive impactful community engagement.

Proposal Submission Timeline

• Submission of proposals opens: Sunday, 2 November 2025
• Submission of proposals closes: Sunday, 14 December 2025
• Proposals feedback deadline: Thursday, 29 January 2026

*All contributors must register for the conference and pay the registration fee.

Rethinking Engagement & Building Communities

Vision & Inspiration: Rethinking Engagement

• Exploring the latest tools and approaches to enhance engagement
• Showcasing best practices and successful case studies
• Sharing lessons learned from regional and international experiences

Practical Application: Building Communities

• Understanding the importance of community-building in science communication
• Addressing cultural contexts and their influence on engagement
• Leveraging technology to strengthen connections and outreach

Future Outlook: Paths Forward & Regional Collaborations

• Identifying opportunities for cross-institutional collaboration
• Developing strategies for building strong regional networks
• Harnessing technology to connect and sustain communities
• Strengthening financial sustainability and shared resource models to enhance institutional resilience and regional collaboration

Important dimensions the NCPC 2026 is looking to weave into the program include:

• Museums as Hubs:
  Positioning our institutions as central platforms for innovation, dialogue, and cross-sector collaboration, convening schools, SMEs, artisans, and universities around shared challenges (e.g., water reuse, green jobs, etc.).
• Community Engagement in STEAM and Vocational Learning:
  Addressing the importance of equipping youth and broader communities in the region with future-ready skills through practical, engaging, and locally relevant approaches.
  Applying new engagement playbooks such as co-creation, citizen science, maker culture, and participatory collections.
• Lifelong Learning:
  Reinforcing that learning is for everyone, regardless of age, and museums can be catalysts for continuous curiosity and development throughout one’s life journey.
• Regional Relevance:
  Ensuring that our initiatives reflect the unique cultural, social, and educational needs of our communities while maintaining an international outlook.
  Telling science through local crafts, food, water, climate, astronomy heritage, etc.
• Sustainability:
  Embracing environmental, social, and financial sustainability, ensuring science centers and museums resiliency, accessibility, and impact. Exploring innovative funding models, partnerships, and income-generating approaches that balance mission and financial health. Designing learning for sustainability, circular materials use in activities and exhibits, maker education and repair cafés, public engagement and environmental theme festivals.
• Design for Belonging:
  Inclusive exhibits (UDL), multilingual/low-literacy strategies, sensory-friendly hours, trauma-informed practice, etc.

Submit Your Proposal and Shape the Future!

We look forward to receiving your innovative proposals that demonstrate commitment to our collective vision.

Proposal Evaluation Criteria

• The focus and learning outcomes are well presented and thoughtfully articulated;
• The proposal offers new concepts and thoughts that have not been presented previously at NAMES’ conferences;
• The proposal is relevant to the topic that it is presented under;
• The proposal is relevant to the region and/or is global in nature and addresses actual needs;
• The proposal ideas and organization are well-conceived and developed.

How to Propose Your Contribution?

Please use this form to submit your contribution proposal; alternatively, you can send the following information to namesnetwork@bibalex.org by the deadline:

1. Contribution Format
   (please select one of the seven formats listed in the table following these instructions)
2. Contribution Title (50 characters)
3. Contribution Summary (150-300 words)
4. Learning Outcomes (150 words max)
5. Full name (first and last), contact information, and basic information about the qualifications for the person submitting the contribution idea and any co contributors (if applicable).
6. Short biography of each contributor, as applicable (150 words per presenter). A link to the biography page, website, or public-facing social media for each contributor is recommended.
7. Additional information and/or special requirements (if applicable)

Session Formats: Share Your Expertise

The NCPC 2026 invites proposals across a variety of engaging and interactive formats to ensure a dynamic and collaborative conference experience. We encourage contributors to select the format that best supports their content and fosters maximum participant involvement.

Please indicate your preferred format in your submission. Note that the NCPC 2026 may suggest an alternative format during the review process to optimize the overall conference schedule and flow.