STICHTING NEMO SCIENCE MUSEUM

Their core work

NEMO Science Museum is the largest science centre in the Netherlands, based in Amsterdam, dedicated to making science and technology accessible to the general public. In EU projects, they serve as a bridge between complex research and society — designing public engagement activities, science education programs, and citizen involvement strategies. They specialize in translating technical research (from water technology to circular economy) into experiences and formats that engage schools, families, and communities. Their work ensures that EU-funded science reaches beyond the lab and into classrooms, exhibitions, and public discourse.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In the early period (2015–2018), NEMO focused squarely on gender inclusion in STEM and building national networks to address underrepresentation — coordinating Hypatia as their flagship effort. From 2020 onward, their focus broadened in two directions: deeper into open schooling and living lab models (SALL), and outward into environmental technology engagement (WATER-MINING). The shift signals a museum moving from awareness campaigns toward embedding itself as a permanent interface between EU research projects and the public.

NEMO is positioning itself as a go-to partner for any EU project that needs credible, large-scale public engagement and science communication — increasingly in environmental and circular economy topics.

How they like to work

NEMO mostly joins as a participant (3 of 4 projects) but has demonstrated coordination capability with Hypatia. With 81 unique partners across 24 countries from just 4 projects, they operate in very large consortia — typical for CSA-type projects focused on networking and dissemination. This makes them a well-connected, low-friction partner: easy to integrate into large proposals where public engagement or science education is a work package requirement.

Despite only 4 projects, NEMO has collaborated with 81 unique partners across 24 countries — a remarkably wide European network built through large coordination and support actions. Their reach spans most of the EU, with no obvious geographic concentration beyond the Netherlands.

What sets them apart

NEMO is not a university or research institute — it is a major science museum with direct access to hundreds of thousands of visitors annually, making it one of the most credible public engagement partners available for EU consortia. Unlike communication agencies, they bring genuine science education expertise and established school networks. For any project that needs a dissemination or societal impact work package with real reach, NEMO offers something most research partners simply cannot: a physical space and a proven audience.

Highlights from their portfolio

• Hypatia
  NEMO's only coordinator role — a CSA building national networks to tackle gender imbalance in STEM, and their largest single EU grant (EUR 269K).
• WATER-MINING
  An unusual fit — a science museum contributing to a large-scale water technology demonstration project, highlighting their expanding role into environmental tech engagement.
• SALL
  Schools as Living Labs represents NEMO's latest evolution: embedding real research into school environments as a sustainable engagement model.