zdi-MINTplus.NRW

The aim of "zdi-MINTplus.NRW" is to work together with SMEs, universities and business and university-related organizations to help secure skilled workers for STEM professions and ensure the future viability of North Rhine-Westphalia. The funding announcement is intended to support contributions that either transfer current scientific findings into STEM offerings for school pupils or further expand the existing landscape of extracurricular learning locations in North Rhine-Westphalia. The aim is to get young people interested in careers and degree courses in mathematics, IT, natural sciences and technology (STEM) at an early age. A particular focus is on the so-called "easy-to-ignore group": These are young people whose potential is often overlooked and who have so far only had limited access to extracurricular STEM opportunities. This is where funding from the ERDF/JTF program with EU funds comes into play in order to enable access for everyone and create new spaces for innovative ideas.

The aim of the "zdi-MINTplus.NRW" project call is to transfer current scientific findings into the skills development of pupils and to establish new extracurricular learning locations for the implementation of STEM offerings. The promotion of young talent in North Rhine-Westphalia is to be expanded and professionalized in the STEM subject area. The target group for the new STEM offers are pupils of all school types from secondary level 1 onwards. To this end, the project call is divided into two independent modules. A separate funding application must be submitted for each module.

The aim is to fund projects that transfer current scientific findings into the promotion of young STEM talent in North Rhine-Westphalia. To this end, new STEM offerings for school pupils are to be created with the involvement of regional SMEs, universities and business and university-related organizations. These can be designed for physical, digital and/or hybrid implementation. The aim is to have transferred the newly designed and tested STEM offerings into a practical phase at the end of the implementation period and to implement them regularly.