In 2008, a call for Expressions of Interest in collaborative projects was issued by Science City Bristol under its strand “creating a culture for all which understands and celebrates science and technology” which has the specific objectives of:
- raising the aspirations of young people in Bristol city region
- raising the science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) skill levels in the (potential) workforce of the region

Key criteria for the proposed projects were outlined as follows:

The project will
- meet the objectives outlined above
- be delivered within the boundaries of the 4 unitary authorities listed above
- fit within the National Curriculum
- be innovative
- be inspiring
- be a sustainable model
- not duplicate existing projects
- And ideally:
- link science and creativity
- link science and business
- fit the social inclusion agenda

The project may be targeted at KS1, KS2, KS3 or KS4 and deal with any relevant STEM subject.

In May 2008, 3 pilot projects were chosen to be taken forward by an assessment panel.

Project 1: iEARN (Nov-Dec 08)

The first of these is the iEARN learning circle project in November/December 2008.

IEARN UK provide a collaborative online learning tool, via which 5 schools can work together as a distributed project team. The chosen topic, One World, One Environment asked the pupils to consider their eco-footprint and environmental implications of their lifestyles and decisions.

Five secondary schools from across the sub-region volunteered to take part in the pilot and support was provided to the teachers and pupils by iEARN UK throughout the duration of the project.

Each school was asked to prepare a ‘report’ of some kind at the end of the project – this could be in any form able to be reproduced on a website and the reports can be found on the iEARN UK website.

There were some difficulties with the process on this pilot which have provided useful learning for all the partners involved. However feedback from pupils was positive and their enthusiasm and improved understanding is clear in the reports and the interviews Churchill Community School, one of the schools who took part in the project, gave to BBC Radio Bristol.

Project 2: BAC 100 (Jan-Mar 09)

In 2010 the West of England will be celebrating the centenary of the founding of the Bristol Aeroplane Company and a century of aerospace innovation and world-class scientific research in the region’s university and industrial sectors.

Lifelong learning forms a key part of the BAC 100 celebration and an education strategy is being developed that will be fully integrated into the overall programme. The strategy has input from representatives in industry, education, heritage services and community history groups. The aim is to work creatively with learners of all ages, backgrounds and abilities during the centenary year, enabling access to a wide range of learning opportunities, nurturing original thinking and encouraging more people, particularly women, to consider a career in engineering.

A Science City Bristol-funded pilot project has been run with selected primary schools in South Gloucestershire and Bristol as a test-bed for the type of workshops and resources that could be offered in 2010 and outputs from the pilot will be fed into the programme. It combined arts-based activity with STEM skills to explore how dreams and the imagination provide the basis from which scientific and engineering innovations can grow.

A full report will be put together now that the pilot has been completed.

Project 3: BioBlitz (June 09)

Science City Bristol and DEFRA have funded this activity which will take the form of a 30 hour race against the clock to catalogue all living species within a defined area. It will happen at the Ashton Court Estate on Friday 26th and Saturday 27th June.

It is a significant project which requires the collaboration of many of our existing science and technology partners, as well as media partners to raise local awareness and encourage the general public to participate. Experts will be on hand day and night to lead the public in the search and classification of species and activities will be carefully controlled to ensure minimal impact on the environment.

Outputs from the project will be fed into the Ashton Court Estate Management records as well as wider UK data on existing species.