STEM Talent fund Announces Spring 2024 Grants
The European Grants Programme supports projects which identify and develop talented young people at Olympiad level in mathematics and science across Europe. It funds organisations committed to expanding their impact and enhancing their resilience and sustainability.
In Spring 2024, the following initiatives were awarded funding:
The Croatian Mathematical Society (CMS) will replicate a previously successful/proven model for informatics, which moved the country to a top-10 ranking in the International Informatics Olympiad. The project will revitalise mathematical competitiveness across the country. If successful, the initiative has the potential for replication of approach and materials in other neighbouring countries.
ESTALMAT is a prestigious Spanish mathematics talent identification and development programme, run by the Royal Academy of Exact, Physical and Natural Sciences. The grant will enable them to reduce reliance on volunteers and give talented 13-18 year old mathematicians access to extracurricular mathematical training and mentorship reaching over 1,000 talented students across 11 regions in Spain.
Spring-Stof, an innovative Belgian organisation, delivers Olympiad training courses in maths, physics and informatics among other programmes. Their funding will cover costs for talented students from low-income backgrounds to attend the programme, preparing them for participation in national and international Olympiads and competitions.
Ung Vetenskapssport (Young Science Sport) works with Olympiad level young talent in all STEM subjects, running camps and a mentoring scheme across Sweden including rural communities with little to no STEM talent provision. The grant will fund their first paid member of staff to lobby for UVS to be included in national STEM policy, collaborate with new partners, train and coordinate volunteers, develop marketing strategies and evaluation.
European students will also benefit from a global online platform, developed by renowned maths Olympian Professor Po-Shen Loh. Game-based competitions and peer-to-peer teaching will help develop talent, as well as creating a supportive online mathematical community.