Digital Makers

A programme to encourage and enable a generation of young people to create rather than simply consume technology.

Digital technologies touch almost every aspect of life and business – but relatively few people create them; most people just use them. We want to mobilise a generation of young people with the drive, confidence and know-how to make new technology – whether websites, apps, hardware, games or brand new innovations. Here's how:

Consortium and campaign

Working together with partners, including Nominet Trust, Mozilla Foundation, O2 Think Big, grassroot groups and educators, we're coordinating a consortium of organisations and individuals with a mission to inspire a generation of young people to be creators (not just consumers) of digital technologies.

The consortium is built on the following values:

• Digital technology is a tool to change the world, knowing how to harness it is a fundamental literacy for the 21st century.
• We learn through making and doing.
• We work better together (this is an open movement. Collaboration and sharing are key to its success.)

The consortium will launch a nationwide, youth-focused campaign to drive the demand for digital making skills among young people and give information on how to participate.

Watch this space for updates on the progress of our consortium and campaign.

Digital Makers Fund

We're also launching the Digital Makers Fund to support innovators with bright ideas for significantly increasing the number of young people who participate in digital making.

Nesta and Nominet Trust, in partnership with Mozilla, are pleased to announce an open call for ideas backed by a fund of £225,000, which is the first in a series of funding opportunities for the Digital Makers programme. In this first call we expect to make a small number of grants between £20,000 and £50,000, alongside a package of tailored non-financial support. The call opens on 8 November 2012 and closes on 17 January 2013.

Find out more about the open call.


There are already lots of great examples of the types of learning opportunities we want to see more students engaged with. Check out our useful tools and resources page for a selection of some of the existing tools, events and products that champion and teach digital making skills, such as web programming.