The Ciência Viva Journeys were the 2019 winners of the Roy L. Shafer Leading Edge Award for Business Practice (Large Institution), an award presented annually by the ASTC (Association of Science-Technology Centers), the North American professional association of science and technology museums and centres.

The award was presented to Ciência Viva, represented by its President, Rosalia Vargas, during the ASTC Annual Conference, which took place on September 21, 2019, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

The Roy L. Shafer Leading Edge Awards  recognise exceptional projects and practices in the categories of Business Practice, Visitor Experience, and Leadership in museums and science centres around the world. A jury of 14 professionals reviewed and selected the 2019 award winners.

Under the motto “Let curiosity lead you” the Ciência Viva Journeys were created in 2017 by Ciência Viva with the aim of increasing the visibility  of the Ciência Viva Science Centres Network, linking it to an ambitious programme of science and knowledge tourism. They offer routes for exploring and promoting heritage throughout the country, fostering interaction between urban and rural areas, as well as between the coast and the interior.

 Since the beginning, this scientific tourism programme has benefited from the technological support of the Vodafone Foundation in Portugal and from prominent national partners such as CP – Comboios de Portugal, the INATEL Foundation, and Movijovem.

Since their launch in 2017, the Ciência Viva Journeys have brought 236,653 visitors* to the Ciência Viva Science Centres. We currently have about 14,400 explorers*, and in 2025, we recorded 44,337 visitors using the card across the Ciência Viva Science Centres Network.

Thank you to all the Super Explorers!

 

*Visitors – data from January 1, 2017, to January 1, 2026; Explorers – data as of January 31, 2026.