ICSE Science Factory

The ICSE Science Factory supports the EU’s endeavor to combat a shortfall of scientists and citizens versed in science. It does so by offering a unique combination of different measures, each of them tackling the issue from a different starting point, thereby leveraging impact.

The unique features of the ICSE Science Factory are, in a nutshell:

• New high-capacity cross-sectoral partnerships in five partner countries consisting of science researchers, science education researchers and non-formal education providers, supported by attached schools, enterprises and community institutions.

• Innovative concept to enlarge the number of scientists and scientific knowledge in the communities: 1.To strengthen the partnerships, we organise local partnership conventions, where we share and apply research findings, and local public fairs to integrate communities in the scientific learning process. 2.With the expertise of the local cross-sectoral partnership, in each country we offer collaborative and interdisciplinary lighthouse activities and open schooling activities for community members (on health, digitalisation, Green Deal), supported by mentoring. 3. All activities are complemented by a series of interactive career talks, focussing especially but not only on female role models in science and on overcoming stereotypes.

• An educational, research-backed concept for our lighthouse and open schooling activities which deliberately includes real-life problem-solving on issues relevant to society (including decision-making), and the concept of challenge-driven innovation, which integrates communities in overcoming challenges.

•The activities are supplemented by special features: The setting up of stimulating science labs in each country, a threefold system for encouraging mentoring across the partnership and a systematic approach to quality assurance by using design research, which strives for solutions tailored to local communities based on a joint European concept.