Happy to report details of a new partnership between Science Foundation Ireland and the Department of Education to support education and public engagement projects in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) across the country.
The Department of Education will contribute up to €500,000 towards successful projects under the SFI Discover Programme, with the aim of supporting effective interventions in the early years STEM education continuum.
The new areas in the SFI Discover Programme Call highlighted for consideration under the partnership are: • STEM careers awareness and role-model based programmes that address underrepresented communities and challenge stereotypes in STEM • Proposals that support building county/regional networks for actors delivering STEM engagement activity. The purpose is to build knowledge sharing networks at a regional/county level that will address equity of access for schools/communities in that area. • Proposals based on STEM and the Arts approaches that support learners to participate in cross-curricular learning and make connections between STEM concepts and solving problems in new and exciting ways. The partnership is aligned with the Department of Education’s STEM Education Policy Statement 2017-2026 and SFI’s new strategy, Shaping Our Future, which has a pillar focused on building a cohesive ecosystem. This new initiative focuses on supporting a joined-up approach to effective interventions in the early years STEM education continuum. The STEM Education Policy Statement 2017-2026 covers all learners from early years to post-primary level #stemeducation#STEM