The Institute is committed to providing opportunities for all to learn about, contribute to, and be inspired by our research. Our BioInspire programme offers bespoke workshops, visits, and activities exclusively to our priority groups.
Our Priority Groups
We recognise that some young people are underserved when it comes to opportunities to engage with scientific research, due to a range of societal factors.
To help address this, we prioritise access to our educational programmes and events for youth groups and schools which are:
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Non-selective and in areas local to our campus, such as Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.
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Located in a postcode area of higher deprivation (assessed using the Indices of Deprivation), within 42 miles of the Institute.
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Located in neighbourhoods with low overall progression rates to higher education (where young people are less likely to go on to higher education after they finish school).
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Schools with a higher than average percentage of students eligible for Free School Meals/Pupil Premium.
Our priorities are reviewed on an annual basis using the latest data and guidelines.
Connecting Students with STEMM
We also offer priority groups support to complete a Youth STEMM Award.
The Youth STEMM Award is skills–based framework to support and inspire the next generation into STEMM – Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Medicine. Young people (aged 11-19) can work towards a Bronze, Silver or Gold level Award by undertaking STEMM-based activities at school, at home or online.
Partner Schools & Colleges
This programme has already reached at least 6 schools since 2022, with over 100 students participating in the Bronze or Silver Youth STEMM Award to date. We are proud to work with schools and colleges across our region and some further afield, including:
BioInspire x Youth STEMM Award Online
In 2024, we launched our first online BioInspire & Youth STEMM Award programme, including 20 young people ages 14-18 selected from across the United Kingdom.
Each young person involved in the online cohort receives:
The programme also encourages young people to be part of a supportive online community by sharing highlights & learning from their journey with eachother, facilitated by group coordinators from the Public Engagement Team and Youth STEMM Award. Each participant completes a wide range of STEMM-focussed activities throughout the academic year (Sept - Jul), eventually gaining enough hours to achieve the 4 award strands.
Read these fantastic blog posts from Aaron , Gabby & Alexia from our 2024 online cohort , all written as part of the Engaging the Public strand of their awards.
Applications to join our next online BioInspire x YSA cohort open in Autumn.
Contact Us
If you believe your school or youth group may meet our priority criteria above, please get in touch to find out more about our programmes.
Further Information
To find out more about our BioInspire activities and events, please take a look at the latest public engagement blog & news stories.