Centre International de Formation et de Recherche Avancées en Physique

Science, Technology, Engineering Mathematics (STEM) are driving forces of developing and progress of the society. Having workers with STEM skills boosts the economy and helps countries compete globally. Therefore, to prepare and maintain an adequate STEM workforce is key challenge for any country. The initiatives of integrating and continuously supporting STEM in the Romania educational curriculum is one of the main efforts of the government. The UNESCO Microscience Experiments Project (UMEP) is a hands-on science education project that gives students, assisted by professors, the opportunity to conduct practical work in basic sciences, AI and robotics, using educational kits. This project aims to implement UMEP in Romania and create premises to scale it up to other South-East and Mediterranean countries, proposing to: promote practical science experimentation using microscience as efficient tool of learning ; increase young people’s interest in science, for choosing a scientific career and promoting gender equality; enrich science curricula with hands-on experimentation, ensuring a deeper understanding of STEM concepts; improve the professional competences of educators by embracing modern, hands-on teaching methods; contribute to capacity building for science education and enhance development of scientific thinking and experimentation for students; allow access to science experiments to students from disadvantaged areas.