A national investment of €4.4 million through Science Foundation Ireland’s Discover Programme was today announced by Minister for Training, Skills, Innovation, Research and Development, John Halligan. The funding has been awarded to a range of projects dedicated to educating and engaging the public in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM).
The investment reflects Science Foundation Ireland’s (SFI) mission to foster the most engaged and informed public. Part of the remit of the Foundation, through its SFI Discover Programme, is to achieve this goal by inspiring and guiding STEM education and public engagement.
Forty-one diverse initiatives will be supported by this year’s programme; 11 of which have been awarded funding for two years.
This year’s call received over 80 applications from which successful awardees were carefully selected through international peer-review.
Speaking at the launch of the SFI Discover Awards, Minister Halligan said: “I greatly support the significant efforts being made by Science Foundation Ireland to generate enthusiasm for STEM within the Irish public. The 41 initiatives being funded through this year’s SFI Discover programme will stimulate important public conversations around scientific research and will highlight the individual, societal and economic value of encouraging more people in Ireland to explore science-related careers.”
A number of projects specifically aimed at developing computing skills among young people are being funded, including the CoderDojonetwork of programming clubs, where 6,000 young people will learn how to code and build websites.
A continuous professional development (CPD) evaluation programme to facilitate the teaching of the new computer science syllabus at Leaving Certificate is also being funded. This project is being managed and developed by the SFI Research Centre Lero, the world-leading, internationally recognised centre of excellence in software research, in conjunction with education and advisory partners.
Space is another theme being supported again this year, with the Engaging Space project at Blackrock Castle Observatory, Cork. This funding will include support for Space Week, which takes place from 4-10 October. Ireland’s Space Week festival came third in the world in 2017 for World Space Week events.
Examples of new projects that will be supported this year include: Teen Entrepreneur STEM Camp – an eight-week programme of STEM workshops for Transition Year students; Girl Guides initiative IGGIES; transformational science television seriesThe Big Life Fix; and Planeteers – an interactive hands-on education programme for primary level children, created by the Cool Planet Experience, that incorporates the science behind climate change, and encourages pupils to design and engineer their own solutions.
SFI director of innovation, communications & education Dr Ruth Freeman said: “The SFI Discover Programme encourages people from all backgrounds to learn about STEM and become involved in the exciting scientific research taking place across Ireland and the world.
“Discoveries from this research will create solutions to our most pressing challenges, and leave a lasting impact on the world. It is important that the public are informed about these discoveries, and can engage with the researchers who are creating new knowledge and technologies. SFI Discover harnesses the creativity of diverse engagement initiatives to motivate people to explore STEM in novel ways, and through this, we will inspire our future scientists, engineers and innovators. We look forward to working with these exciting projects.”
SFI has invested in more than 200 public engagement projects through the Discover Programme since 2013. This year’s initiatives are estimated to reach some 2 million people.
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