The company operates two science centres (The Observatory at Herstmonceux and Inspire in Norwich), a travelling exhibitions service for schools (Science Works modular exhibitions) and travelling exhibitions for the museum and galleries community (Exploring Science series) and an exhibit design and production workshop in London.

1.  BACKGROUND

  1.1  Science Projects Ltd. was established in 1986 as a company limited by guarantee with charitable status to receive funding from the DTI, The Gatsby Charitable Foundation and the Nuffield Foundation. The intention was to create the Discovery Dome, a travelling science centre housed in tent structures which would also serve as a catalyst for establishing small local centres at a time when there was much enthusiasm and talent but little money and certainly none at all for grand buildings. The Discovery Dome travelled around the UK for seven years and the remaining exhibits and structures now form part of our Observatory Science Centre and the Exploring Science series of travelling exhibitions.

  1.2  The long term aim was to set up an organisation capable of bringing science to the public at all levels by establishing a community of small local science discovery centres, travelling exhibitions and curriculum linked travelling exhibitions for schools. This grand ideal has been realised in part.

  1.3  It was recognised from the outset that income generating ventures would be essential in the long term to support the mission if the project was to flourish. The principal activity for this purpose was to establish the exhibit production workshop both as a resource and eventual income generator. A loan from the Gatsby Charitable Foundation assisted in establishing the workshop. Of necessity, operating costs were to be minimised and income was to be maximised to fulfil the mission of taking science to the public without being dependant on grant funding for survival.

  1.4  Demand from teachers lead to the development of our mobile curriculum-linked exhibition service for schools initiated in 1989 and this was again initially funded by the Nuffield Foundation. Demand from museums and science centres for exhibits was met by expanding our exhibit production workshop. This activity provided funding to develop our own travelling exhibitions and establish two science discovery centres, the Observatory Science Centre at Herstmonceux and Inspire at Norwich.

2.  FUNDING

  Capital is generated in part through grants for new initiatives but mainly through earnings from exhibit design and build activities for other museums and centres provided by the production workshop in London. Hire fees are charged for travelling exhibitions and services and the two science centres receive admission fees and operate a shop and café. Special events and activities also bring in revenue. In the case of the Observatory TV film location fees bring in an extra income.

3.  THE OBSERVATORY SCIENCE CENTRE

  The Observatory Science Centre, Herstmonceux, East Sussex was the former home of the Royal Greenwich Observatory and houses five major telescopes of the RGO. Science Projects took this over and opened as a science centre in 1995. Funding was received from the Heritage Lottery in 2000 with match funding provided by Science Projects and enabled restoration work to be completed on the buildings and the telescopes. The centre is now self funding in terms of revenue. Annual visitor numbers have increased year on year from 20,000 in 1995 to 52,000 in 2006 of which 20,000 were schoolchildren. These figures exclude those from outreach activities. The Observatory employs nine full time staff with extras as require for half term, special events and weekends. There is a further contribution from London based staff. Twenty full time and part time staff are on the payroll.

  (NOTE: The Observatory will also be making a submission to the enquiry).

3.1  Activities and events

  These are funded in different ways as indicated below, the general principle is the first try-outs are funded internally and if they are taken up then the activity is budgeted to show a small return to ensure continuity. Initial funding for new projects is mainly via reserves from Science Projects and where possible from grant funding from organisations such as PPARC once feasibility has been demonstrated.

3.1.1  SED's are science experience days for age groups in the range 6-10 yrs. The day involves intensive teaching and practical work on various topics. Parents pay a fee for this service to cover operational costs and renewal of consumables. Older age groups are accommodated in discovery day activities which will be expanded to include contemporary issues.

3.1.2  Workshops on a range of topics for 6-10 year olds during a family visit are a make-and-take activity spread over half a day. These and the SED's are booked events up to a maximum of 24 participants and supervised by staff and volunteers including retired teachers. The fee covers staff time and consumables.

3.1.3  Drop-in activities include the Zany Zone lab experiments in chemistry. Visitors contribute £1 to cover consumables.

3.1.4  Demonstration carts moves around the site and the topics covered so far are Ecology, Physics and Comet making. The demo-carts are also taken into schools and to local events. Funds are sought to expand these activities to and enable them to be taken further afield.

3.1.5  Special events and shows include family open evenings, observing evenings using the restored historic telescopes, engineering challenge weekends, and an expanding range of shows. There are also tours of the telescopes throughout the day to provide an historic perspective to the site and explain the associated science.

3.1.6  The Science Centre Astronomy Festival 2007 is the third and promises to be bigger than the previous two years. Visitors are invited to camp at the site and exhibitors pay to set up stalls. It is becoming a major event in the South East and contributes funds to the Centre.

3.2  Exhibits, exhibitions and telescopes

  The exhibitions are predominately hands-on and continually in development through our production workshop in London as funds and resources allow.

3.2.1  The telescopes on the site span the period from the late 1800's when astronomy embraced photography to the beginning of the modern era of electronic image processing. Heritage Lottery funding matched by Science Projects reserve funds enabled the telescopes and domes to be made operation and available for use. The Observatory was invited to join an EU e-ten initiative to enable access to images from a network of telescopes to be made available via the internet. The intention is to link local schools with a school in Athens which has just built an observatory. The project is in its infancy and expanding. Funding was 50% EU and 50% Science Projects.

3.2.2  The indoor exhibitions are predominately hands-on and constructed in the workshop in London. The Re-Discover grant, combined with our own funds allowed the Observatory to upgrade older exhibits, renew graphics and construct some new exhibits. The renewal program continues as funds allow.

3.2.3  An outdoor "Discovery Park" was constructed in the grounds of the observatory and features large themed exhibits in a rural setting which demonstrate basic principles of physics. This greatly improved the visitor experience and opened up the site. Revenue has increased as a result and other centres are interested in purchasing versions of the exhibits.

3.2.4  A conventional exhibition chronicling the history of the site is housed in one of the six telescope domes. This was part funded by the Heritage Lottery to support interpretation of the site.

3.2.5  Travelling exhibitions from Science Projects circulate through the temporary exhibition space. Sponsorship is sought for new exhibitions.

4.  INSPIRE DISCOVERY CENTRE

  Inspire Discovery Centre, Norwich was established in 1995 in a medieval church in Norwich and is very much a community centre responding to local needs. The centre is oriented towards younger children and has developed a program of shows which is also part of the outreach activities. Visitor numbers hover around 23,000 per annum excluding the outreach activities. There are four full time equivalent staff with extras for weekends and special events.

4.1  Funding

  Income is derived from admissions, a small shop and café, local grants and income from outreach events. Operationally, the centre still relies on a subsidy from Science Projects' funds to cover rent and other costs associated with the building. This situation is under review and ways to attract greater local support are being examined. The centre has certainly become part of the cultural fabric of the city.

4.2  Activities and events

  The centre organises events in association with local societies and includes topics such as rocks and fossils, contemporary dance, drama and music and reptiles. For the under fives, there are supervised "water workshops" and learning French. There are also daily science shows.

4.3  Outreach

  Shows and Science Works exhibitions are available for outreach. The demand for these is increasing. The centre has a good reputation for developing innovative science shows. The potential for developing the outreach capacity is under review and would benefit from external funding.

4.4  Exhibits and exhibitions

  The centre has a permanent set of hands-on exhibits including some to interpret the arch structures of the church and medieval technologies. Space is allocated for travelling exhibitions.

5.  OPERATIONS FROM THE LONDON WORKSHOP

  5.1  Exhibit production and design takes place in our workshop in London, which is both a resource for Science Projects and a revenue generator. The workshop provides consultancy, exhibits and exhibitions worldwide.

  5.2  Science Works is the curriculum linked mobile exhibition service for schools which was established in 1989 and is self funding in terms of operation. The exhibitions have reached some 2-3 million children and their teachers. Each module comprise a set of 12e table-top exhibits covering the topics of Forces, Light, Sound, Life, Materials, Electricity and Energy and have recently been up-graded. Initially operated out of the London workshop, the service also operates from our two science centres.

  5.3  Travelling exhibitions operate under the banner of "Exploring Science" and serve regional museums and art galleries in the UK and overseas. These exhibitions are presenting science to the public in places which traditionally have little to no reference to science and are therefore central to the mission. The exhibitions are budgeted to be attractive for hiring to small museums whilst generating revenue to sustain the activity. The exhibition service is to be expanded and Science Projects is looking for capital funding to match our own input.

  5.4  Practical training workshops in design and building of science based exhibits for organisations overseas have been supported by the British Council and/or the host organisation. Countries include Ethiopia, India, Malaysia, Australia, the EU and the US. Many countries see the establishment of science centres as an instrument to deliver educational objectives.

6.  GENERAL CONCLUSIONS

  The organisation described here represents a model for a small scale sustainable organisation, with income generating resources, minimal funding and a certain missionary zeal. The model could be successfully applied to a division within a larger organisation. It is financially sustainable and further progress could be made if there were access to funds to underwrite the infrastructure to deliver the educational programs. Overall the field in the UK would benefit from access to a funding body similar to the NSF (National Science Foundation) in the US which actively supports science centre activities as part of its wider mandate. In fact the NSF has funded projects in the US based on our own work, which is a complement of sorts.

7.  EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

  Stephen Pizzey studied Physics at Sheffield University before working on research and development projects in industry. He joined the Science Museum, London in 1975 to develop exhibitions on contemporary science and went on to work with Professor Richard Gregory FRS to establish the Exploratory in Bristol. He is director and founder of Science Projects Ltd, a company with charitable status established in 1986. He has worked in India and the US and continues to work and advise on science centres both in the UK and overseas.

June 2007