From inspirational engineers to a whole institute dedicated to imagination, these case studies showcase some of the work currently being done in UK schools and communities to engage, inspire and develop a diverse next generation of innovators.

We worked with AlphaPlus to map initiatives that aim to give children and young people ‘exposure to innovation’. We combined online searches, expert interviews and open calls on social media and via our networks, to try and find as much of this activity as possible. We were interested in schemes that could help to build children’s ‘capital’ relating to innovation. We reasoned that this might include:

1. Helping children to meet inventors (who you know)
2. Building their skills and knowledge relating to invention (what you know)
3. Changing perceptions about who can be an inventor (how you think)
4. Helping children get practical experience of inventing (what you do)

Including the programmes highlighted here, we identified 29 initiatives that meet our criteria. Our report presents more detailed analysis of the current state of provision of innovation opportunities for school age children in the UK.

If you are working on a project that you think is relevant, please get in touch at [email protected]