British Council and Rolls-Royce join forces to create ‘The Big Science Challenge’
31 October 2011
The British Council and Rolls-Royce have launched ‘The Big Science Challenge’, an international competition for secondary schools in the UK and across the Middle East, which aims to inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers.
‘The Big Science Challenge’ is inviting schools in the UK, and from Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and UAE to research and design an original, innovative solution to a problem concerning water, either locally, nationally or globally. It will give the young people involved an opportunity to learn about science and engineering by tackling real world challenges which affects communities around the world.
Young people from the winning UK school will receive a five day trip to the United Arab Emirates’ famous city of Dubai, where they will gain a unique insight into the culture and education system through an exciting programme of activities.
Patrick Brazier, MENA Regional Director, British Council said: "The British Council is delighted to be joining forces with Rolls-Royce, one of the world’s most respected companies. The Big Science Challenge gives young people in the UK a chance to find a real scientific solution to a genuine problem and to share, explore and learn with schools in the Middle East. By forging these international links, the competition creates a greater sense of understanding between young people and gives them an invaluable glimpse into another culture."
‘The Big Science Challenge’ is also open to a number of secondary schools in eight Middle Eastern countries and all participating schools are encouraged to share ideas and exchange information, emulating real scientists who work in international networks. Over 4000 schools are expected to participate across the UK and Middle East.
Helen Bishop, Head of Community Investment, Rolls-Royce, said: "‘ ‘The Big Science Challenge’ addresses the important issue of water and gives young people an opportunity to work like real scientists and put their scientific research and technological skills into practice. We hope this opportunity will inspire young people in the UK and across the Middle East to make science and engineering part of their future education."
"We are pleased to be working with the British Council, who have a wealth of experience in building educational links between schools in the UK and the Middle East."
In the UK ‘The Big Science Challenge’ is open to teams of up to five young people from secondary schools aged 11 – 16.
The competition closes on Friday 3rd February 2012 and entries will be judged by a panel of experts from the UK and the Middle East.
There will be four UK winners and one per Middle East country.
The prizes include a week-long visit to London for all winners to present their entries in an international forum and the first place UK school will win a five day visit to Dubai.
Winners will be announced the week commencing 20th February 2012.
To enter ‘The Big Science Challenge’, visit: schoolsonline.britishcouncil.org/the-big-science-challenge
Notes to Editors
Rolls-Royce
1. Rolls-Royce is a world-leading provider of power systems and services for use on land, at sea and in the air, and has established a strong position in global markets - civil aerospace, defence aerospace, marine and energy.
2. As a result of this strategy, Rolls-Royce has a broad customer base comprising more than 500 airlines, 4,000 corporate and utility aircraft and helicopter operators, 160 armed forces, more than 4,000 marine customers, including 70 navies, and energy customers in nearly 120 countries, with an installed base of 54,000 gas turbines.
3. Annual underlying revenues were over £10.8 billion in 2010, of which more than half came from the provision of services. The firm and announced order book stood at £61.4 billion at 30 June 2011, providing visibility of future levels of activity.
4. Rolls-Royce employs over 39,000 skilled people in offices, manufacturing and service facilities in over 50 countries. Over 11,000 of these employees are engineers.
5. In 2010, Rolls-Royce invested £923 million on research and development, two thirds of which had the objective of further improving the environmental performance of its products, in particular reducing emissions.
6. Rolls-Royce supports a global network of 28 University Technology Centres, which connect the company’s engineers with the forefront of scientific research.
The Group has a strong commitment to apprentice and graduate recruitment.
British Council
The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations. We create international opportunities for the people of the UK and other countries and build trust between them worldwide. We work in over 100 countries in the arts, education and English and in 2010/11 we engaged face to face with 30 million people and reached 578 million. We have 6,800 staff worldwide. Our total turnover in 2010/11 was £693 million, of which our grant-in-aid from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office was £190 million. The remainder was generated through trading activities such as English language teaching. For every £1 of taxpayer money invested we earn £2.65 in additional income.
For further information, please contact Elizabeth Bananuka on 020 7389 4808 or email elizabeth.bananuka@britishcouncil.org
