Esplora Interactive Science Centre has once again been selected for funding for an exciting Erasmus+ project, under Key Action 1: Learning Mobility of Individuals.
This project, entitled ‘Learning for All: Upskilling for Greater Impact and Reach’, aims to develop science engagement initiatives targeting youth. In addition, Esplora also seeks to improve its competence in developing and evaluating community outreach events. Furthermore, Esplora aims to explore co-creation opportunities, learning from host organisations how to involve students, STEM professionals and various stakeholders in collaborative projects. These aims will be achieved through three training mobilities offered to 15 participants from Esplora.
The first training mobility took place at Trinity College in Ireland, between the 22 and 26 April 2024. This training opportunity focused on connecting ‘Science Communication Practice’ with ‘Research and Theory’.
Four members from the Esplora education department attended workshops by the Science & Society research group at Trinity College, and explored the relationship between science and society through a number of complementary research areas, such as citizen science, informal science learning and public engagement with science.
The second training mobility funded through the Erasmus+ project was hosted between 3 and 7 September 2024, at Ars Electronica Science Centre, in Linz, Austria. This mobility had a job-shadowing format, in which five of our team members were involved in various activities where they became more knowledgeable about how the Science Centre operates. Throughout this experience, the participants were able to explore how Art, Technology and Science can be intertwined to create an immersive environment for creativity and collaboration.
Apart from meeting with representatives from Ars Electronica, the participants had the opportunity to attend the Ars Electronica Festival, a popular event in the form of a gathering of artists, scientists and technologists, which is intended as ‘a setting for experimentation, evaluation and reinvention’, all of which are crucial for science centres such as Esplora.
At this year’s Festival, the focus was on the impact of emerging technologies on our daily lives, with the opportunity to experience firsthand the transformative effects of machine learning, VR, robotics and biotechnology in advancing social and ecological sustainability. This festival was comprised of workshops and seminars delivered by artists, developers, researchers and activists.
The last training mobility, which was also in the job-shadowing format, took place between the 23 and 28 March 2025. The training was divided into two parts: three days at Technopolis in Mechelen, Belgium; and two days at the NEMO Science Museum in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Five Esplora employees participated.
Throughout this training, participants had the opportunity to meet with numerous people working within the different teams at both Centres – from visitor-facing staff such as the edutainers, to people working in administration. The participants could observe their working routine and their day-to-day operations, as well as learning more about their procedures and their work in promoting STEM. Through reflective sessions held at the end of each day, new ideas and practices were inspired and brought over to Esplora for further planning and development.
Given that this training mobility took place in two different Science Centres, the participants had more possibilities to identify practices which could help improve Esplora’s mission, like for example in the outreach department. Both Technopolis and NEMO were very welcoming and ensured that the project’s goals were achieved. In addition, participants became more knowledgeable about the benefits that such Erasmus+ funded programmes can deliver.
Such training opportunities not only supply the sending organisation with new ideas and inspirations that can enhance internal practices and educational strategies, but also serve as a valuable networking instrument, fostering long-term partnerships, collaborative projects, and the exchange of best practices between educational institutions across different regions and cultural contexts.
