Over the next three years European Schoolnet, ECSITE – the network for science museums and many European science museums will take on an ambitious project to raise young people's interest in science and improve science teaching. Called PENCIL, the four million euros project supported by DG Research aims to build a large scale European gateway for the science education community, with a wealth of resources, opportunities, tools and information.

PENCIL is also part of a wider group of projects, called NUCLEUS, involving major science institutions such as CERN, European Space Agency and others, as well as universities, teacher associations, media companies and other partners. NUCLEUS has a collective budget of over € 9 million, to test, develop and promote new pedagogical methods, techniques and practices for primary and secondary schools across Europe.

"This is a tremendous opportunity for European Schoolnet to make a major contribution in networking the science education community," said Ulf W. Lundin, Executive Director of European Schoolnet.

PENCIL and Nucleus are results of the DG Research call for proposals for the "European Science Education Initiative," aiming to provide Europe with 700,000 additional researchers by 2010, by encouraging more young people to take up science at university.

PENCIL includes a set of thirteen pilot projects bringing together science centres, schools and other organisations to test pedagogical strategies, methods and materials in science teaching. These pilots will be monitored and evaluated by Kings College, UK, and the projects, materials and results will all be available through the science education portal.

To complement and supplement the work of PENCIL, European Schoolnet is also setting up a network of representatives from member Ministries of Education, called the Science Education Network (SEN). The SEN will concert on science education policy and approaches. In addition, European Schoolnet will survey Ministries of Education on major science initiatives as part of Insight. The results will be published in a forthcoming Insight policy briefing on science education.

For further information, please contact:
Alexa Joyce – alexa.joyce@eun.org