The University of Nottingham has been awarded funding to bring 3D design and printing into hospital education in England, through a three-year project aimed at widening access to practical STEM learning for children and young people who attend specialist schools because of complex health needs or long stays in hospital.
The award comes from a Royal Society Science Community Grant together with the Julia Rausing Trust. The work is being carried out in collaboration with the National Association for Hospital Education (NAHE), and engineers and scientists from universities around the country are supporting it by helping school staff acquire the 3D design and printing skills needed to run hands-on projects.
How the programme is arranged
An initial 25 schools are to receive a 3D printer and take part in a national training programme led by the University of Nottingham with support from local partner universities. The programme is scheduled to run across a term, organised as coordinated sessions built around user-centred design and ending in a showcase event.
Students will be invited to start by taking inspiration from their own environment and identifying product designs that could work better for them, so the design briefs are intended to grow out of the learners' own surroundings.
The case for practical science
Sir Paul Nurse, President of the Royal Society, said schools are where most people first encounter science. He said practical work lets students experience the scientific process, evaluate evidence, understand uncertainty and appreciate how science helps people understand and improve the world, adding that the goal is for all students to experience and be inspired by science. Embedding more practical science in schools is, in his view, an important step towards building future generations of scientists and innovators and equipping people with the scientific literacy needed to be successful citizens.
Addressing a gap in hospital education
Professor Ruth Goodridge of the University of Nottingham is leading the project. She said children and young people who spend extended periods in hospital or attend specialist schools often miss out on the enriching, hands-on STEM experiences their peers take for granted, and that the project is intended to address that gap by giving them access to 3D design and printing activities that broaden horizons, build confidence and develop skills for the future.
Goodridge said hospital school staff report that illness can make a child's world feel very small, with disrupted education, anxiety and low confidence often affecting engagement with learning. In her account, 3D printing offers an accessible and rewarding way for students to develop new skills, solve problems and create something tangible, providing a sense of achievement at a time when many aspects of their lives may feel beyond their control. For many of these young people, she said, it is a chance not only to learn new skills but also to see new possibilities for their future.
Rehabilitation research link
The NIHR HealthTech Research Centre for Rehabilitation, led by Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, is partnering with the project to explore how 3D printing technologies could contribute to children's rehabilitation and recovery following serious illness or injury.
Stephen Deadman, from the National Association for Hospital Education, said the project will provide vital skills for children unable to access traditional school, giving them valuable hands-on experience with specialist equipment. Alongside the individual skills they will build, he pointed to the additional benefits of working together both within and between schools, which the project is expected to provide in the form of a sense of community and shared achievement.