CENTER FOR FORMIDLING AF NATURVIDENSKAB OG MODERNE TEKNOLOGI FOND

Their core work

Experimentarium is Denmark's flagship hands-on science and technology center, based in Hellerup outside Copenhagen. Their core work is translating scientific knowledge into accessible, engaging experiences for young people, school groups, and the general public. In EU projects, they contribute established science communication expertise, tested educational methodologies, and direct access to youth and school networks across Denmark. They do not conduct original research — their value lies in making research visible and meaningful to non-specialist audiences, including policymakers, educators, and citizens.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In their first H2020 engagement (Hypatia, 2015–2018), Experimentarium focused tightly on gender equity in STEM — building national networks and reaching girls and young women through school-based activities. By 2021–2022, with SESAM21, the thematic scope broadened significantly to encompass climate, environment, food and agriculture, and the SDGs, reflecting the wider science communication agenda that emerged in European policy after 2019. The constant thread is youth engagement and school science — what changed is the subject matter, shifting from social equity to planetary sustainability.

Experimentarium appears to be positioning itself as a platform for sustainability and SDG education for young people, which aligns with the dominant direction of EU science engagement funding through Horizon Europe and the European Green Deal communication agenda.

How they like to work

Experimentarium participates exclusively as a consortium partner — they have never coordinated an H2020 project, which is typical for science centers whose value lies in outreach and dissemination rather than research management. Their two projects involved a combined 20 unique partners across 15 countries, suggesting they join well-structured European consortia where they play a defined communication or dissemination role. They are a reliable specialist contributor rather than a strategic consortium driver.

Experimentarium has worked with 20 unique consortium partners across 15 countries through just two projects, indicating that their partners are geographically diverse European institutions rather than a fixed circle of collaborators. Their reach is genuinely pan-European, consistent with the multinational nature of science engagement networks like Hypatia and SESAM21.

What sets them apart

Experimentarium is one of Scandinavia's most visited science centers, giving it direct, sustained access to large youth and family audiences that most research institutions cannot reach on their own. In a consortium, they fill the gap between scientific knowledge production and public understanding — a role that is often underfunded but increasingly required by EU funders demanding broader impact. Their combination of physical infrastructure, educator networks, and science communication track record makes them a credible dissemination partner for projects targeting youth, schools, or the general public in Northern Europe.

Highlights from their portfolio

• Hypatia
  The largest of their two projects (EUR 172,588) and the one that established their EU collaboration profile, focused on building national-level gender-in-STEM networks — a high-visibility policy priority in MSCA at the time.
• SESAM21
  Although small in budget (EUR 20,000), this project signals a thematic pivot toward climate, environment, and SDG communication, topics that are central to the current Horizon Europe agenda and likely to attract larger future funding.