Nationwide award: MINT projects inspire young talent!

Nationwide award: MINT projects inspire young talent!

On September 25, 2025, outstanding projects for scientific and technical education were honored as part of the Körber Foundation's initiative. The focus of the call for proposals was on the motto “Strengthening education” of the “MINT regions have an impact!” program. A total of five projects received 5,000 euros each for their remarkable contributions to MINT education in Germany. Among the award-winning projects, the project "Naturally trained! Students discover apprenticeships" coordinated by Charoula Finkelnburg and based at the Free University of Berlin stands out.

The project aims to give students in grades 9 to 13 practical insights into scientific and technical careers. Finkelnburg emphasizes the effective networking in STEM education, which was crucial in convincing the jury. The partners in the project are the Transparent Laboratory on the Buch Campus and the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin.

Innovative approaches to career orientation

A central element of the project is storytelling, which aims to inspire young people for training and careers in the MINT sector through personal experiences. Schoolgirls can find out more about various scientific careers directly at work and talk to women in these professions.

The series of events extends over an entire school semester and enables participants to regularly meet women who act as role models. This individual encounter is intended to increase interest in technical and scientific careers and shows how important clear career orientation is for young women.

The project “Naturally Training!” is part of the MINT cluster “Mach’s GenaU!”, which has been funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) since 2021. The GenaU school laboratory network has existed since 2006 and includes 18 school laboratories and eight associated partners in Berlin and Brandenburg. The main goal of the network is to make research experiences tangible for school classes and to promote interest in natural sciences.

Diverse MINT offers from 2024

From March 2024, young people between the ages of 10 and 16 who are interested in science can join the “NATürlich Training!” project alongside the project. also take advantage of the network's other free afternoon offers. These offers include experiments and getting to know different professions, such as conservator or radiologist. Registration for interested young people from grade 9 onwards can be done via the email address natuerlich-bildung@genau-bb.de.

In addition, a GenaU app is offered that enables young people to get actively involved in the “MINT and Media” working group and to create digital content on MINT topics. This working group is aimed at young people between the ages of 12 and 16 and takes place every Thursday. Participants can finally publish the results of their work in the GenaU app.

The wide range of offers reflects the BMBF's initiative to support the MINT regions in Germany and thus strengthen MINT skills. The MINT Action Plan 2.0 provides comprehensive measures for this, ranging from early education to higher education. An important aspect is the involvement of parents in STEM education in order to jointly promote interest in scientific topics.

Commitment to STEM education is essential, especially given that women continue to be underrepresented in STEM careers. The “MissionMINT – Women Shaping the Future” initiative helps support young women on their path to MINT courses and careers and creates visibility through inspiring role models.

The increasing number of successful MINT projects and the associated enthusiasm among young people are an encouraging sign for the future of scientific and technical education in Germany. The recently awarded projects, including the one led by Finkelnburg, show concretely how targeted measures and innovative approaches can promote interest in MINT subjects.

Those interested can find more information about the different offerings of the school laboratories in the GenaU network on the website exactly-bb.de. It also offers BMBF Comprehensive information about MINT activities in Germany and their importance for the development of future skills for everyone.