In response to growing public interest in science matters, around 80 UK science and discovery centres have formed a new national network to give this expanding sector a stronger voice. Chaired by Colin Johnson, director of Techniquest, the new organisation will be the UK wing of the European Collaborative for Science Industry and Technology Exhibitions. ECSITE-UK will be administered by the British Association for the Advancement of Science. The network has received support from biomedical research charity, the Wellcome Trust, which funded the UK contribution to the Human Genome Project. The hope is that ECSITE-UK will raise the profile of science and discovery centres and increase public attendance by a third over the next decade. Around 11 million people will visit such venues in 2001.