From 1 August 2009, the University of Birmingham will host the new National STEM HE programme which will build on the experiences and successes of CFOF and its sister pilot projects:

• Stimulating Physics
• More Maths Grads
• London Engineering Project.      

With funding of £21 million from HEFCE/HEFCW, the National STEM HE programme will run for a period of three years and focus on two streams of activity:

1. Demand-raising and Widening Participation
2. Higher-level skills & employer engagement.     

The RSC will work with Birmingham in delivering these activities and will continue work from CFOF including:

• Chemistry: The Next Generation (CTNG)
• Spectroscopy in a Suitcase (SIAS)
• teacher fellowship scheme
• context- and problem-Based Learning.
  

Background

The Chemistry for our Future (CFOF) programme was a £3.25 million pilot project, funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) from September 2006 to August 2008.  

The project aimed to help ensure that there is a sustainable chemical science base within higher education which will attract able students from all backgrounds and provide chemical science courses appropriate for students and employers in the 21st Century.   

The project received a further £1.65 million in the extension phase from HEFCE to run for an additional year and the project officially ended on 31 July 2009.