The University of Nottingham has been awarded funding to bring 3D design and printing into hospital education in England, with the aim of giving children and young people in specialist schools hands-on experience of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
The funding comes from a Royal Society Science Community Grant and the Julia Rausing Trust. It is intended to widen access to STEM education for pupils who attend specialist schools because of complex health needs or long stays in hospital.
The project will run for three years and is being carried out with the National Association for Hospital Education (NAHE). Engineers and scientists from universities across the country are lending support, helping to equip school staff with 3D design and printing skills so they can run practical projects themselves.
How the programme is structured
- An initial 25 schools will each be provided with a 3D printer.
- A national training programme led by the University of Nottingham, with support from local partner universities, will prepare staff to deliver sessions.
- The programme will run across a term through coordinated sessions built around user-centred design, culminating in a showcase event.
- Students will be invited to take inspiration from their environment and identify product designs that could work better for them.
Professor Ruth Goodridge from the University of Nottingham is leading the project. She said children and young people who spend extended periods in hospital, or who attend specialist schools because of complex health needs, often miss out on the enriching, hands-on STEM experiences their peers take for granted, and that the project is intended to address that gap.
Goodridge said hospital school staff report that illness can make a child's world feel very small, with disrupted education, anxiety and low confidence often affecting engagement with learning. She said 3D printing offers an accessible and rewarding way for students to develop new skills, solve problems and create something tangible, providing a sense of achievement at a time when many aspects of their lives may feel beyond their control. For many of these young people, she added, it is a chance not only to learn new skills but also to see new possibilities for their future.
Royal Society backing
Sir Paul Nurse, President of the Royal Society, said schools are where most people first encounter science. Practical science, he said, helps students experience the scientific process, evaluate evidence, understand uncertainty and appreciate how science helps people understand and improve the world. He added that the Society wants all students to experience science and be inspired by it, and that embedding more practical science in schools is an important step towards building future generations of scientists and innovators and equipping people with the scientific literacy required to be successful citizens.
Rehabilitation research link
The NIHR HealthTech Research Centre for Rehabilitation, led by Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, is partnering with the project to explore how 3D printing technologies could contribute to children's rehabilitation and recovery following serious illness or injury. The collaboration is framed as an area to investigate rather than an established clinical application.
Stephen Deadman of NAHE said the project will provide vital skills for children who are unable to access traditional school, giving them valuable hands-on experience with specialist equipment. Beyond the individual skills, he pointed to the added benefits of working together within and between schools, which he said would bring a sense of community and shared achievement.