Imagine kids learning science not in a classroom but at a science museum, a coding club, or a nature camp. Thousands of these programs exist across Europe, but nobody had a clear picture of what's out there or how well they work. This project mapped out-of-school science learning in 19 countries, built tools so young people can track and prove what they learned, and studied what works best — especially for kids from disadvantaged or remote communities.
Companies and organizations investing in STEM education, youth outreach, or talent pipeline development have no reliable way to find, compare, or measure the effectiveness of out-of-school science programs across Europe. Science centers and EdTech companies build products without a clear picture of what already exists or what actually works for diverse learner populations.
The project built an online map of out-of-school science learning initiatives across Europe, research tools tested in multiple partner locations through three iterations, a distributed credentialization tool for documenting informal science learning, and data collection and visualization templates for self-monitoring hardware tools. A total of 29 deliverables were produced.
If you are an EdTech company developing products for out-of-school science learning — this project mapped initiatives across 19 EU countries and built a credentialization tool that lets learners document achievements outside formal education. The dataset and best-practice principles could inform your product roadmap and help you target underserved markets including remote and disadvantaged communities.
If you run a science center or museum and struggle to prove the educational impact of your programs — this project developed research tools tested across 8 countries and self-evaluation instruments for learners aged 9 to 20. These tools can help you measure and demonstrate learning outcomes to funders, showing concrete value beyond visitor headcounts.
If you are an enterprise investing in future STEM workforce development and need to identify effective youth programs to sponsor — this project created an online map of out-of-school science initiatives across Europe covering 19 countries. The map and underlying dataset let you find high-quality programs in your recruitment regions and verify their educational approaches before committing budget.
The project was publicly funded with EUR 2,999,982 under Horizon 2020, meaning outputs like the online map and research tools are likely available as open-access resources through the project website. Licensing terms for the credentialization tool would need to be confirmed with the coordinator at Trinity College Dublin.
The tools were designed and tested across 19 EU countries with in-depth studies in 8 of them, involving a consortium of 25 partners. This multi-country design suggests the methodology and tools are built for cross-border scaling, though adaptation to new national contexts would require local partnerships.
IP is held by the consortium led by Trinity College Dublin under Horizon 2020 rules. The 25-partner consortium across 20 countries would need to agree on licensing terms. Given the public funding and educational mission, favorable access terms for non-commercial use are likely.
Research tools went through three iterations (months 12, 18, and 24) and were tested across all practice partner locations in the consortium. The credentialization tool also had two versions with a final update at month 24, indicating iterative testing and improvement over the project lifecycle.
The deliverable describes an 'integrated distributed credentialization tool,' suggesting it was designed with interoperability in mind. Based on available project data, specific integration protocols or API details would need to be confirmed directly with the development team.
The project focused specifically on learners aged 9 to 20 and out-of-school science contexts. While the self-evaluation and credentialing methodology could theoretically be adapted for corporate informal learning, that was not the project's scope and would require further development.
The consortium of 25 partners across 20 countries is unusually broad for an education project, giving it genuine pan-European reach. However, the mix is heavily weighted toward non-industry players: only 2 industrial partners (8% industry ratio) with 5 universities, 5 research organizations, and 13 other entities (likely science centers, NGOs, and public bodies). There are 7 SMEs in the consortium, but the low industry ratio signals this is primarily a research and policy initiative, not a commercially driven venture. For a business looking to leverage these outputs, the coordinator at Trinity College Dublin (Ireland) would be the entry point, but expect an academic-oriented partnership culture.
The coordinator is Trinity College Dublin (Ireland). Contact through the university's research office or the project website for partnership inquiries.
SciTransfer can help you assess whether the mapping data, credentialization tool, or research methods from SySTEM 2020 fit your organization's needs — and facilitate an introduction to the right consortium partner.
