The FUTURE SPACE is the EU-funded project focused on astronomy & space exploration to provide a catalyst for change in understanding and teaching STEM subjects in European educational systems. It is directed to upper secondary school students and teachers but also to non-formal educational organizations such as small science centres and NGOs. The Project aims to inspire students through space matters, increase the number of candidates for STEM studies, and introduce young people to career opportunities and further professional development in the space sector and other innovative areas. Besides, the FUTURE SPACE is designed to build the cross-sectional and soft competencies which have significant importance on the labour market and to reduce low achievement in natural science subjects.
The two main deliverables of the Project are the Space Schools Programme and the Space Programme for science centres and other non-formal education organizations. The first Programme will include thematic modules devoted to the 21st century’s global challenges and practical solutions offered by research and exploration of the near-space environment. Both Programmes will expose the economic and social benefits of space exploration and show career paths available not only to STEM specialists but also to graduates in law and social sciences.
The Project is based on a wide range of training experience, as well as the expertise of the partners: Computer-Assisted Education and Information Technology Centre (OEIiZK), Warszawa, Poland, NEMO Science Museum from Amsterdam, the Netherlands, NOESIS Science Centre from Thessaloniki, Greece, and the Polish Space Agency in Gdańsk, Poland. The leader of the consortium is Centrum Badań Kosmicznych Polskiej Akademii Nauk (CBK PAN).
The Project is led by dr Ryszard Gabryszewski and co-financed by the European Union Erasmus+ Programme. It started on Oct 1st, 2019 and will be implemented within 30 months.