STEM
Inspiring future scientists:
Where local action creates lasting impact
Daphne Vlastari, Head of Communications and Government Relations, Europe North, BASF
In a primary school classroom in Stockport in the UK, a group of pupils peer through microscopes, debate how plants grow, and step inside a mobile planetarium. Many are encountering these ideas for the first time. For BASF in the UK, moments like these capture what effective STEM engagement looks like: hands on, local and designed to spark curiosity that lasts.
Across Europe, the demand for skills in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) continues to grow, driven by digitalisation, the net zero transition and sustainability. As a leading chemicals company, BASF recognises that meeting these challenges is not only about innovation in laboratories and production sites today, but also about inspiring and equipping the talent of tomorrow. Crucially, that ambition is realised through local, sustained action within the communities where BASF operates.
BASF’s STEM engagement in the UK is built around the belief that a single interaction is rarely enough: students need multiple, meaningful encounters with science before they begin to see STEM subjects as ‘for them’. Through flagship programmes such as ScienceXperience and a highly committed STEM Ambassador network, BASF in the UK works to inspire curiosity, raise aspirations and broaden access to science education across the communities in which it operates.
ScienceXperience: Bringing real world science into the classroom
ScienceXperience sits at the heart of this approach. First launched at BASF’s Alfreton site in 2019, the programme was developed in collaboration with
42 LUBE MAGAZINE NO.193 JUNE 2026
education expert Professor Leigh Hoath of Trinity University and designed to be curriculum linked, inclusive and adaptable to local needs.
Each ScienceXperience is co created with partner schools and delivered by trained BASF employees. Practical experiments, problem solving challenges and real world examples drawn from BASF’s operations help pupils connect classroom science to everyday products and industrial processes. The aim is simple but powerful: to show young people why science matters, and how it is applied beyond textbooks.
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