On 28 October 1994, it was announced that the Bighi Palace in Kalkara, which in the past formed part of the Naval Hospital, would be converted into offices for the Malta Council for Science and Technology.

Twenty-two years later, on 28 October 2016, in the building next to the Palace, the Interactive Science Center known as Esplora, was inaugurated. This project, which was the first of its kind in Malta, was partially financed by EU funds.