MEMBER NEWS: Aberdeen Science Centre partners with Norway’s Science Factory to explore innovative net zero solutions

April 17, 2024
MEMBER NEWS: Aberdeen Science Centre partners with Norway’s Science Factory to explore innovative net zero solutions

Aberdeen Science Centre has joined forces with Norway’s Vitenfabrikken (The Science Factory) to form the North Sea Collaboration Project.

The partnership, which is also supported by international energy company Equinor, will explore the innovative carbon emissions reduction solutions being developed by Scotland and Norway.

Aberdeen Science Centre and Vitenfabrikken will work together to develop a range of STEM activities and educational tools to increase awareness of the global climate crisis within schools and communities in both countries.

The ‘Platforms of Tomorrow Challenge’, a competition for school pupils in Aberdeen city and shire, and in Rogoland, Norway, will task select classes of P5-P7 and S1-S3 aged children with inventing methods to reuse decommissioned oil platforms for a new and sustainable purpose. They will then present their ideas to a panel of judges using Lego models.

The judges will determine the competition winner, who will receive £1,000 for a green initiative within their school or local area. The pupils behind the judge’s favourite entries will also each receive a VIP-pass to their respective local science centre.

The competition will launch later this year, but teachers who are interested in having their class take part can register their interest with Aberdeen Science Centre now.

Alongside the competition, the project partners will also produce a series of educational videos, the first of which will highlight the similarities between Scotland and Norway’s energy sectors, their shared and individual climate-related challenges, and the plans that each country has in place to meet net zero targets.

A second video will showcase the journey of a Christmas tree that has been gifted by Aberdeen’s twin city in Norway, Stavanger, to the city centre’s Castlegate area, as part of a tradition that began in 1970. The video will highlight the vast science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) involvement in the tree’s journey to Scotland.

The two centres will also participate in knowledge and resourcing sharing exercises which will include the sharing of staff members for learning and shadowing programmes in each country.

Envisioned as a three-year project, Aberdeen Science Centre and Vitenfabrikken have now begun an initial pilot year for the collaboration.

Bryan Snelling, chief executive officer at Aberdeen Science Centre, said: “We are honoured to have partnered with Norway’s Vitenfabrikken for the North Sea Collaboration Project. Through this partnership, and with the support of Equinor, we want to increase awareness of the global climate emergency and allow an audience in two countries to discover more about how we can all play a part in reaching net zero emissions.

“With our ‘Platforms of Tomorrow Challenge’, we plan to engage with more than 500 school pupils across Scotland and Norway, and to facilitate open conversations between young people in both countries about the global nature of the climate crisis, as they will truly be the driving force behind our future decarbonisation efforts.”

Arne Gürtner, senior vice president upstream at Equinor UK, said: “We are proud to work in partnership with the Aberdeen Science Centre to build excitement and new capabilities in STEM – and this recent partnership between the centre and Norway’s Vitenfabrikken is a great example of collaboration in action.

“As we continue our journey to net zero, encouraging an early interest in STEM subjects is vital, and exposure to new technology and innovation for young people will be crucial as we work towards a low carbon economy.

“Knowledge and resource-sharing between the UK and Norway is key as we continue to develop solutions to decarbonise. The North Sea Collaboration Project is a brilliant new alliance for Aberdeen Science Centre which puts that at its heart.”

Based on Constitution Street near Aberdeen beach, ASC is home to almost 65 interactive exhibits, allowing people of all ages to discover topics including Space, Energy, Life Sciences, Engineering, and much more.

Open seven days a week, Aberdeen Science Centre also offers exclusive venue hire as well as room hire for corporate, social and private events.

To book a visit to the centre, visit https://aberdeensciencecentre.org/

Get in touch

AREG is the original energy transition organisation, working on behalf of members to empower the energy supply chain and champion its expertise. Please get in touch if you have any questions or would like to find out more about membership.

Contact Us
“

AREG has played an important role in the growth of Scotland’s renewable energy sector, engaging the supply chain and developing the European Offshore Wind Deployment Centre. However, we are only at the very beginning of the transition that AREG was established to both lead and support so there are still opportunities for companies to get into the constantly evolving renewables supply chain. We look forward to continuing our work together as renewables builds on its place as Scotland’s main source of power, and as we seek to deliver real change in the crucial areas of heat and transport.

Scottish Renewables
“

Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce has worked closely with AREG since its formation. The recent progress in the developments of offshore wind projects by Equinor and Vattenfall are as a result of the work of the group over many years. The north-east is known as the oil and gas capital of Europe. At the Chamber, we believe the region must evolve its position to being recognised as the energy capital. Whilst hydrocarbons will continue to be essential in driving our economy for years to come, the generation of renewable resources will play an increasingly important role in providing cost-effective power, innovative development and economic growth.

Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce
“

The enthusiasm and dedication of the early group that would become AREG was fundamental in us choosing to launch All-Energy in Aberdeen. The first tiny show was held in 2001, and AREG’s Chairman at the time, Jeremy Cresswell, played such an active role that I often describe him in terms such as All-Energy’s ‘midwife’. All-Energy is now the UK’s largest renewable and low carbon energy exhibition and conference in terms of number of attendees, space booked, and number of exhibiting companies. As AREG became firmly established, their presence and support for the event grew spectacularly over the years. We thank them most sincerely for their invaluable input.

All-Energy
“

Vattenfall has forged a strong working relationship with AREG through the development of the European Offshore Wind Deployment Centre. AREG has worked tirelessly on behalf of the North East and it can take enormous credit for the growth of sustainable energy in the region and the path it has cleared for the region to capture further investment.

Vattenfall
“

Aberdeen City and Shire is emerging as a key location for renewables by successfully transferring its world-class oil and gas expertise into the sector and AREG has done much to advance this through a broad range of initiatives. It has acted as a catalyst in driving further investment in the local economy by engaging with companies, Government, public bodies and existing projects and we have been pleased to support their efforts. Scottish Enterprise will continue to engage with AREG as we increase Scotland’s use of renewable energy.

Scottish Enterprise