2025 Directors Forum programme


Programme

At this years Ecsite Directors Forum, Bart Brandsma, a Dutch philosopher and journalist renowned for his groundbreaking work on depolarisation strategies in society will deliver a keynote on his conflict management framework. Followed by an afternoon of facilitated workshops where participants will apply the framework to their own polarisation case studies. The Ecsite Board and Team will share updates on future new activities for 2026, before a networking dinner joined by writer Afonso Cruz.

Friday will focus on sharing insights from the workshops, discussions, and a look ahead to Ecsite’s upcoming 2026 events, ending in a lunch.

There is an option to visit the Oceanário de Lisboa included in the Directors Forum fee (limited places)

POST DIRECTORS FORUM TOURS

For those who would like to make the most of their trip to Portugal, participants have the opportunity to join longer Post Directors Forum Tours. 

The team at Ciência Viva have pulled together a wonderful package of tours (for an extra charge) to visit other science centres within the Ciência Viva network.


Registration is mandatory for all tours and is available once participants have completed their main event registration.


Speakers

Bart Brandsma

Bart Brandsma is a Dutch philosopher and journalist renowned for his groundbreaking work on depolarisation strategies in society. He is the author of “The Spiral of Polarization” and he developed the Frame Theory; a practical model used across Europe to address rising social tensions. Brandsma works closely with governments, police forces, educators, and civil society organizations, offering tools to navigate conflicts and promote dialogue. His approach shifts the focus from debating extremes to engaging the "silent middle," fostering constructive communication in divided communities. He works worldwide, from Cambodia, Lebanon to Congo, and in Europe from Helsinki to Barcelona, from Belfast to Kyiv. His company, Inside Polarization VOF, was created to deliver means and tools to professionals who need to show strong leadership in the challenges that us-thinking poses in our time.

Afonso Cruz

Afonso Cruz is a Portuguese multidisciplinary artist, author of more than 40 books, among novels, theatre plays, picture books, juvenile novellas, poetry, photo-text, poetry, non-fiction and essays. His books are published in more than 20 languages. During his career he received many awards, such the EU Prize for Literature for the novel Kokoschka’s Doll. He also works as a filmmaker, an illustrator, and a music writer. He studied at Escola Superior de Belas Artes de Lisboa and at Instituto Superior de Artes Plásticas of Madeira, in Portugal.


Impressum

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