The roles of science centres are changing. Exhibitions with right or wrong answers are not enough in today’s complex world, where beauty is in the detail and knowledge is negotiable. Science centres are in a unique position to build bridges between research and practice, and participate in the establishment of new audiences. The session will address the need to develop collaborative methods to achieve this goal. Through the two EXPAND and PULSE projects, speakers will share their experiences on developing participatory practices and research methods suitable for exhibition development as well as science centre development in general.