Our award-winning Big Ideas Programme connects students with businesses local to them to start conversations around a sustainable future whilst educating a diverse young audience about the many opportunities within the STEM sector.
We believe in the power of young people to face the future and its challenges head on, and in the importance of collaboration with business. Read on to find out how it works…
Solutions for the planet
How it works
Step 1 read more...
We work with schools and businesses across the UK. See our current list of School Partners here and our current list of national, regional and local Business Partners here.
Step 2 read more...
Before the programme starts, we train teachers from our School Partners, and mentors from our Business Partners, to give them all the tools and information they need to support students on a Big Ideas Day. After the Big Ideas Day, we follow up with further training on how to guide the students effectively through the process of developing a business plan, and this is supplemented by weekly virtual ‘Masterclass’ drop-in sessions to provide consistent support to teachers and mentors.
Step 3 read more...
On a full day off-timetable, students are split into teams and learn about sustainability issues and how STEM skills and careers can help solve them. They are set the task of coming up with a ‘Big Idea’ to solve a sustainability issue that matters to them, and present their idea to everyone at the end of the day. The students are introduced to their mentors from our Business Partners who will work with them over the next few months to develop their plans.
Students that attend a Big Ideas Day are eligible for a CREST Discovery Award from the British Science Association.
Step 4 read more...
In development sessions run by their teachers, students work on turning their Big Ideas into a business plan with support from mentors.
Students submit their business plans to compete with other teams from schools across the UK as part of the Big Ideas Competition. At the Shortlisting events, a panel of judges (from Solutions for the Planet, our Business Partners, sustainability/STEM/education professionals and young people) reviews all the entries and selects the Regional Finalists.
Step 5 read more...
Teams who are selected to be Regional Finalists are invited to present their ideas at one of our Regional Finals which take place at universities across the country. The winning teams, plus some wild cards, then go through to the National Final.
Students that present at the Regional Finals also receive a CREST Bronze Award from the British Science Association.
Step 6 read more...
The Big Ideas Competition National Final is held at the Palace of Westminster in London and hosted by a cross-party group of MPs. The National Finalists are invited to present their Big Ideas on stage to a panel of judges, the other teams, and guests, and the Big Ideas Competition winner is crowned!
students have participated in the Big Ideas Programme to date
%
of teachers said the Big Ideas Day encouraged them to be more creative in the way they tackled key issues like sustainability in the classroom
%
of business mentors believe the programme builds their organisation’s reputation in the local community
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