The National STEM Community Fund is an initiative of the STEM Engagement Working Group chaired by Esplora Interactive Science Centre on behalf of the Malta Council for Science and Technology. This scheme aims to bridge the gap between science and society by allocating funds to eligible organisations to carry out community-based STEM-related projects. Funded organisations need to engage with a researcher or STEM professional throughout the process of project development and execution. The Fund provides local communities with an opportunity to become more actively involved in STEM for the wellbeing of the community.

Schools and Resource Centres are eligible for this Fund. For the purpose of this Fund, STEM subjects are understood as life sciences, physical sciences including earth sciences, health science and environmental science, IT and computer science, engineering and mathematics. A community does not necessarily need to be defined by geographical location but is rather understood in the broad sense as a group of people sharing the same values and working towards the same goal.

Applications will be evaluated by an independent board in terms of Project Excellence, Relevance of Project to the Community, and Impact and Legacy of Project. Funding per chosen project is of a maximum of € 8,000, allocated at the discretion of the Evaluation Board. For more information kindly refer to our dedicated webpage: https://esplora.org.mt/the-stem-community-fund-2023-introduction-and-applications/. You can access the application form through: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/K67LNMS. We encourage educators and schools to spread the news and participate in this scheme by submitting their online application forms by Friday 24th March 2023. This will contribute to making science more accessible to the local community whilst bringing together researchers/STEM professionals and the general public to use their expertise in developing a STEM project that benefits society at l arge. Should you have any queries, please feel free to contact the STEM Engagement Team at Esplora at stemengagement.esplora@esplora.org.mt.