More than funding
We offer bursaries to make STEM inclusive and accessible to all.
We offer bursaries to make STEM inclusive and accessible to all.
We’re on a mission to make STEM less intimidating by giving every young person a chance to ‘go pro’. Together with industry partners we:
Our bursary scheme is open to any non-fee paying, DfE registered school, SEND, Alternative Provider, or nationally recognised youth and community group.
“These students come from areas where there are not a lot of opportunities, but this challenge gives them life experience. They get to do things here that they’d only do at university, and this experience is also inspiring many of them to pursue further studies at a university.”
Karl Mahon, Teacher, Chiswick School
Our comprehensive robotics kit is a reusable provision with no recurring cost.
The starter kit squeezes in over 1300 components, including tablets for programming. Each year, get a free add-on kit with additional parts to tackle the annual game. At the end of the season, dismantle and repeat. It’s that easy.
Yep. We’re a charity here to make STEM inclusive. Our nominal £49 commitment fee provides access to educational content, unrivalled support, free events, rich encounters with industry and accredited student awards.
As part of our promise to support team recovery this year, all £49 commitment fees will be waivered for teams who took part or deferred their place last season.
Our industry-backed bursary programme funds provision for a limited number of teams each year. Find out if you’re eligible and how to apply:
Eligibility
Returning teams
Next season, bursaries will be considered for organisations expanding their provision with a clear delivery plan.
Criteria
We support organisations serving disadvantaged communities, driving social mobility and promoting inclusion. We use measures of disadvantage including Pupil Premium, social deprivation indexing and additional context provided during the application.
Notifying outcome
Organisations will typically be informed of the bursary outcome by email within 14 days of applying. Successful applicants are issued award letters detailing the amount, duration and terms of the bursary with 14 days to accept.
The bursary scheme for this season closed on 31 Oct 2021. All applications after this date will be deferred to the 2022-23 academic year. However, you can still register to take part this season by purchasing a kit (£799).
Invoicing
Commitment fees
Payment of any applicable commitment fee is due within 30 days of an invoice being raised. Invoices will not be raised until you have been notified of any application for financial support.
Treatment of VAT
In line with our charity status and HMRC guidance the charity invoices all commitment fees and any kit fees inclusive of VAT at 20%. Educational establishments are able to fully recover any VAT component.
Kit bursary invoicing
Teams receiving a kit bursary will be issued with an invoice for a £49 commitment fee and £799 kit fee (+VAT). A -£799 bursary credit will be applied to the invoice.
The total amount payable will be £218.60, of which £169.60 is VAT and fully recoverable by the school. Download a nifty breakdown here.
Fundraising
Fundraising
Community outreach is a critical development opportunity for teams. Fundraising missions and tools are embedded within the programme to support this activity. The majority of teams raise sponsorship or gift-in-kind funding from local businesses, which often support travel costs to events and team branding.
For the numbers folk, download a one-pager about bursaries, invoicing and the treatment of VAT.
If you haven’t heard of Arm, you’ve definitely held their technology in your hands. Their chips make our robots intelligent, their generosity powers kit bursaries to make STEM more inclusive and their people mentor our teams.
Register a team to take on the UK’s most epic STEM programme for young people. You can apply for financial support during the application.