The STEAMBrace project is set to revolutionize STEAM education across Europe by fostering networking among stakeholders, providing comprehensive training, and establishing a cutting-edge digital framework. With a keen focus on gender balance, this 36-month initiative, funded by the Horizon Europe programme of the European Commission, aims to bridge the existing gender gap in STEM fields, advancing from secondary to doctoral education levels.
Addressing Gender Disparity in STEM
Despite women constituting over half of the European population, they represent only 40% of STEM professionals. This disparity is even more stark in the realm of innovation, where women account for a mere 10.7% of patent submissions. Recognizing this issue, STEAMBrace places a strong emphasis on gender balance, aligning with the European Commission’s policies aimed at achieving a gender-balanced research workforce by 2030.
A Collaborative and Holistic Approach
STEAMBrace’s strategy involves a multi-stakeholder approach to understand the gaps and limitations in STEM education across various demographics, including age, gender, and socio-cultural aspects. The project aims to foster a sustainable, inclusive, and reproducible STEAM education system that will drive cultural and social cohesion in Europe.
By integrating transversal competencies such as arts, creativity, and innovation with traditional STEM subjects, STEAMBrace adopts an interdisciplinary STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math) approach. This method has the potential to reshape STEM education, engage a broader range of students, and address the persistent gender gap within these fields.
Empowering the Next Generation
“The European children will be the centre of STEAMBrace,” says Juancho Pons, the project’s coordinator. “They will test all the activities and processes, participate in national and European contests, and lead a new generation of boys and girls in equal and balanced terms, spearheading the 21st-century revolution in education.”
Looking Ahead
As education systems increasingly adopt the STEAM approach, we can anticipate a more inclusive, diverse, and gender-balanced European future in the realms of science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics. “STEAMbrace is going to create and test activities and new processes that will take us to a higher level and to a STEAM certificate that can be accepted and approved by the European education community,” states Pons.