Help inspire the next generation of scientists

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The Science Centres For Our Future campaign is calling on the Government to set up an Emergency Resilience Fund to support the UK’s national network of over 40 Science Centres, many of which are at risk due to the measures they have had to take during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Science Centres deliver inspirational and inclusive science experiences and programmes for schools, families and children across our regional towns and cities. Many young people have their first experience of science at these much-loved local centres. Without urgent funding we are at risk of losing our world-class Science Centres.

With no funding in sight and the pandemic far from over, 153 leaders from across the UK's scientific community have come together to highlight the importance of our national infrastructure which inspires future scientists by signing an open letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Chancellor Rishi Sunak and the Secretary of State Alok Sharma.

View the letter in full and download supporting documents here.

Science Centres can help with our global challenges

“The UK’s Science Centres open up science, making it accessible for everyone. They find great ways to inspire people with the latest science and ignite curiosity about the world around us, and are based in towns and cities across our nation. They engage millions of children and adults each year with all areas of science, from climate and the environment to health, innovation and physics. Science is so important to all our lives, especially now with coronavirus, and climate change, and the science centres are a valuable national resource we don’t want to lose.

Like many of our cultural resources, the Science Centres are closed, and as independent charities they are at risk without Government funding. I am delighted to support The Science Centres for our Future Campaign to protect these key regional gateways so everyone has access to a lifetime of interest and enjoyment of science.”

Sir Paul Nurse, Nobel Prize Winning Geneticist

Science Centres play a vital role in fuelling our STEM economy

Over the past two decades the UK has invested in and developed its 40 regional Science Centres into internationally renowned resources.

They are a fundamental pillar of the UK’s science and innovation strategy, supporting the government’s plan to ensure that the UK continues to both pioneer scientific study and to spearhead world-changing innovation.

But this constellation of Science Centres could disappear without immediate support from the government. Without this network we lose a ready-made, highly successful and proven communication channel to millions of families across the UK.

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