NEMO

International projects

NEMO is an experienced project partner in a wide range of international projects in the areas of science learning and communication. The partners in our past and present collaborative ventures include universities, schools, other science centres and museums, research organizations, business, and the European Union. We are participating in projects that focus on science education or on boosting expertise in specific subjects, such as inclusion and talent development in the field of science and technology. Other projects are intended to enhance international public involvement with science, technology and innovation.

Current projects

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CTprimED

NEMO is the project leader of the multi-year CTprimED project. In this European project, NEMO Science Museum is working with Tinkersjop from Curaçao and Universidad Deusto from Spain. The aim of CTprimED is to improve the digital skills of children aged between 6 and 12 and their teachers. To this end, a roadmap is being developed to familiarise those teachers with computational thinking within the curriculum. A toolkit containing workshops for children is also being created, as is a training module for teachers.

Creativity as a starting point for connecting artistic ability and technology

In this project, we bring art & culture and science & technology together with creativity. The aim of the activities being developed is to contribute to artistic abilities, creative skills and the ability to reflect and adopt a critical perspective in primary school children. The activities are created in partnership with educators and experts in the fields of art, science and technology. The initiators of this project are the National Centre of Expertise for Cultural Education and Amateur Arts (LKCA), Oyfo Techniekmuseum, the artist Casper de Jong and NEMO Science Museum. This project is backed by the Cultural Participation Fund, which supports initiatives that help encourage participation in culture. 

Tink@school

NEMO Science Museum is a partner in the multi-year European Tink@school project. In this Erasmus+ project, NEMO Science Museum is working with partners from Greece, Italy and Iceland. The objective of Tink@school is to enable teachers to address the issue of sustainability in an innovative and creative way in the classroom. Ten school activities are being developed, using the Tinkering teaching method. Tinkering is a teaching method and a way of thinking and working. Tinkering activities are hands-on: participants are invited to play and create things using tools and inspiring materials. NEMO has gained a lot of experience of developing Tinkering activities over the course of three previous Tinkering projects. In this project, new expertise is being acquired about the use of the Tinkering methodology in combination with sustainability. You can read more about the project on this website.

Talent development in the neighbourhood

In this project, NEMO aims to reach children aged 8 to 12 who do not have the opportunity to come into contact with Science & Technology in the classroom or by visiting a museum. In order to reach out to this ‘distant’ target audience, we are working with organisations in their own ‘learning ecosystem’, i.e. community centres. In partnership with four community centres, we are developing workshops which will give these children the opportunity to develop their talents and 21st century skills further. The community centre support workers and activity leaders will be trained by NEMO to deliver the workshops. At the end of the project, the combined insights and knowledge gained regarding the activities, their supervision, the training programmes and people’s experiences will be gathered together to compile a handbook. This will provide a useful reference for future workshops as part of a lasting programme.

Multi-STEM

Multi-STEM (Multi lingual voices in STEM education) is a research project. The goal is to make it easier for multilingual children to participate in arithmetic, science and technical education. NEMO Science Museum is a partner in the science museums sub project, along with the Teylers Museum and Museon-Omniversum. In the project, we are trying to discover how children who speak a language other than Dutch or English at home, and their families, are able to use their home language during their visit to NEMO. You can find more information about this project here.

Sensee

The European Sensee project is aimed at children (aged 6-12) with limited opportunities to discover and develop their talents. Partners from Norway, Slovenia, Cyprus and the Netherlands are developing Science & Technology activities for them. Through those activities, the children are able to practice skills like critical thinking, problem-solving, handling disappointment, resilience, working together and analytical thinking. These skills will help them to be entrepreneurial in the future and prepare them for the challenges of the 21st century. The activities are tested in a school setting, after which they are made available to schools and educators in informal learning environments such as museums, community centres and libraries as a training module and handbook. The Sensee project falls under the Erasmus+ programme. Erasmus+ is the EU programme for education, training, youth and sport in Europe. You can read more information on this website.

Schools As Living Labs (SALL)

In the European Schools As Living Labs project, international experts are developing a new method for open education. Ideas and knowledge are brought into the school from the local community. In the coming academic year, 'the food system' will be in the spotlight. Within that theme, pupils will work on a self-chosen question and discuss it with stakeholders: people from the local area, both within and outside the school. Together, they will form a Living Lab team. They will devise solutions, make example products (prototypes) and test them out. By working with the neighbourhood, they will be contributing to their local community.

PLASTEAM

Plastics and plastics are very useful in our society. However the way they are produced, consumed and disposed is bad for the environment and anything but circular. To develop a sustainable world, it is necessary that everyone becomes active in the field of sustainability. The European PLASTEAM project is aimed at informing pupils and teachers, especially in primary education, to use and recycle plastic objects responsibly. The PLASTEAM project develops educational activities about plastic and its consumption and recycling. The PLASTEAM project is part of the Erasmus + programme. Erasmus+ is the EU program for education, training, youth and sport in Europe.

Mokum Maakcoalitie

The Mokum Maakcoalitie brings together 12 Amsterdam organisations working to promote integral creative education in the city. Together they want to create rich learning environments in which young Amsterdam residents can develop their creative, social, cultural, digital and technical/technological talents. For instance, the coalition is providing creative education for a total of nine classes in three Amsterdam schools between January and July 2022. These classes are being delivered by teachers from Cultura Nederland with rich information content programmes from three of the partners of the Mokum Maakcoalitie; Lekkersamenklooien, Maakplaats 021 (OBA) and NEMO Science Museum. The other participating organisations are de Waag, Pakhuis de Zwijger, Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, Cinekid, The Beach, Designathon Works, NewTechKids, Next Nature Network and the Science & Technology 'knowledge brokers' from the City of Amsterdam.

Past projects

TINKERING: ADDRESSING THE ADULTS

Tinkering is an innovative learning approach that involves creating physical things using divers tools, materials, ideas and methods. The learner is encouraged to play around with materials and tools. This third EU Tinkering project is aimed at adults. In the project we want to reach adults who have no or little affinity with STEM and have a low Science Capital. Activities and workshops developed in this project help adults to gain knowledge and skills while using their own experiences and knowledge. Read more.

OPEN SCHOOLS FOR OPEN SOCIETIES

The Open Schools for Open Societies (OSOS) project promotes an ‘open school’ approach. The aim of this project is to arouse the curiosity of pupils in primary and secondary education. The pupils’ families and wider social circles are actively involved in the life of the school. This generates novel insights that are used to drive innovation in education. Read more here.

TINKERING FOR SCHOOLS

NEMO is launching a three-year EU project in collaboration with 30 primary schools. The initiative is a follow-up to its successful Tinkering project. Schools will be given the opportunity for free training in NEMO’s tinkering method, which lowers the threshold for getting kids involved in science and technology at school. It’s a fun and active approach that gives pupils, teachers and parents a broader view and more positive image of science and technology. Read more.

MonA

NEMO Science Museum is proud to be a partner in MonA, a multi-year European project. In this exciting international project, NEMO Science Museum is working with museums, schools and technology partners from the Netherlands, Greece, Italy and Austria. The aim of MonA is to give people who are not in a position to come to the museum the rewarding experience of an online visit. Read more

FUTURE SPACE

This European project aims to stimulate students of upper secondary school to a career in science and technology, with space and astronomy as inspiring subjects. The project develops online activities and new innovative activities for schools and science museums. In this EU-funded project, NEMO collaborates with partners from science, education and museums in Poland and Greece.

TINKERING

The TINKERING project emerged from the need for members of the public to be competent in science and technology, to help them respond more effectively to contemporary global challenges. Using a learner-centred approach, the project aims to educate people about STEM topics (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics). The innovative teaching methods involved in TINKERING have been implemented at a European level, together with cooperating museums and educational institutions (website: Tinkering).

STEMitUP

STEMitUP is a European project to make more secondary schools aware of arrangements for the business community to cooperate in S&T (Science &Technology) classes. In this context, project staff will arrange refresher courses for teachers, offering them tips and tricks on how to tackle this topic in their everyday teaching activities. The project will also supply teaching materials for use in the classroom. STEMitUP feels that this approach will strengthen STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) education in a variety of ways.

MISStoHIT

MISStoHIT is a European project designed to tackle obstacles to achievement in basic skills, through the use of more effective teaching and learning methods. In addition to enhancing STEM programmes (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) at various levels, it strengthens the profile of the teaching professions (website: MISStoHitt).

HYPATIA

Hypatia is an EU project that addresses the challenge of attracting more teenage girls into careers related to Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). We want to communicate the sciences to young people in a more gender inclusive way. To this end, we are involving schools, industry, science centres and museums, policymakers and teenagers. Our motto for teenagers during the project, which runs from 2015 to 2018, is Expect Everything. Hypatia will bring all of the stakeholders together with gender experts and teenagers themselves. The goal will be to develop a pilot project, and to disseminate a unique modular toolkit of activities and guidelines for engaging teenagers in STEM in a gender inclusive way. Hypatia is being coordinated by NEMO Science Museum (website: Hypatia Project).

EU-SPACE-AWE

The purpose of this three-year project is to encourage more young people to choose careers in space-related fields. A range of activities will be developed for children, teenagers, teachers and policy makers. One of the project’s goals is to create a repository of innovative peer-reviewed educational resources (website: EU-SPACE-AWE).

STING

The STING project aims to foster quality improvements, innovation excellence and internationalization in teacher training programmes for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) teachers, with special reference to gender issues. The main objective is to put forward, and share, good science education practices for gender balance. An innovative and practical modular Teacher Training programme, in toolkit format, is being designed and implemented by the various partners involved. Educational stakeholders and policy makers from several different countries are actively participating in the project (website: STING).

SYNENERGENE

The goal of the SYNENERGENE project is to bring stakeholders in the area of synthetic biology together with members of the public. Synthetic biology (SynBio) offers huge potential for applications in energy, health and the environment. It also raises various challenges, such as regulatory issues relating to biosafety, biosecurity and intellectual property rights. As yet, however, the public are largely unaware of the technology involved. It is for this very reason that the project aims to establish an open dialogue between the various stakeholders (website: SYNERGENE).

ENGINEER

Project ENGINEER provided support for the widespread European adoption of innovative methods in the teaching of science. It provided extensive teacher training programmes in inquiry-based methods, which stimulated school pupils’ interest in science and engineering subjects. The consortium behind ENGINEER featured ten European science museums and ten schools, as well as various universities and other organizations that contributed expertise to the project (website: ENGINEER).    

VOICES

VOICES was a Europe-wide public consultation initiative. It generated valuable insights into the methodological and procedural aspects involved in integrating public participation into the process of defining the European research agenda (website: VOICES).

TWIST

A number of European science centres and museums were involved in the TWIST project, the purpose of which was to raise awareness about the numbers, and role, of women in science and technology. The project targeted young people, their teachers and parents, as well as the public at large. NEMO produced a handbook (which is still being used by many organizations) for the purpose of training teachers how to become more gender inclusive (website: TWIST).

FEAST

FEAST identified Explainers in science centres and museums as key players in the informal education of adults and families. One of the project’s goals was to facilitate Explainers’ professional development in an international setting, another was to create a European model for developing and delivering informal science workshops for adults (website: FEAST).

PLACES

PLACES facilitated a three-way conversation between science, policy makers and society in Europe. It generated a vision for science policy at local (town/city) level, and created hundreds of interconnected local networks. At the heart of the PLACES project were more than 60 European City Partnerships in almost 30 countries (website: PLACES).

TWIST Genderdag

Science: it's a Girl Thing!

‘Science: it’s a girl thing!’ was a campaign aimed especially at girls and young women. It was designed to show them that science can deliver great opportunities for their future. The campaign also underlined the importance of science and research in finding specific solutions to our world’s problems. In 2012, as part of this campaign, 250 pupils participated in a one-day event at NEMO Science Museum (website: Science: it's a Girl Thing!).

 

GAPP

In Europe, there are still gender differences in science. The statistics show that girls are less interested than boys in certain branches of science and technology. The GAPP project conducted qualitative research and developed new practices in science communication and education. Its goal was to develop practical solutions for closing this gender gap. During the project, NEMO developed a competition entitled ‘Tube Your Future’. This successful yearly competition is still running.

HANDS ON & BRAINS ON

The Hands on & Brains on project integrated the processes involved in teaching cognitive facts at school and in learning how to make observations at science centres and museums. It reinforced the role of museums and science centres as innovative teaching and learning resources that can deliver specialist support and experience in science subjects. The handbook ‘Science is Primary’ (a toolkit for kindergarten teachers who are keen to use IBSE in their classrooms) is still widely used in the Netherlands.

PENCIL

The goal of the PENCIL (Permanent EuropeaN resource Centre for Informal Learning) project was to combine field programmes with academic research, to identify ways of transforming informal science activities into innovative quality tools for science teaching. Fourteen science centres created mini-networks that included schools, pupils, teachers’ associations, research laboratories, and educational authorities, as well as education and science communication specialists. These networks were tasked with running pilot projects to explore new ways of teaching science.