About Us

Opening up STEM to Everyone

In2scienceUK was founded in 2010 by Dr. Rebecca McKelvey, who aimed to provide young people from low-income and disadvantaged backgrounds an opportunity to gain practical insight into the STEM sector as well as the knowledge and confidence to progress to university.

Each year In2scienceUK receives over 2,000 student applications and gives nearly 500 students the opportunity to take part in life-changing STEM placement opportunities, working alongside researchers and industry professionals to get hands-on STEM experience over the summer.

To date, 75% of participants progress onto STEM degrees. This is something we are proud of, as we are not a gifted and talented programme and aim to take students of all levels studying STEM subjects.

Our Mission and Vision

Poverty and social background are huge barriers to progressing to careers within STEM. If students don’t receive the right guidance and support through their schools and personal networks, they may never consider pursuing a career within this sector.

By giving students from disadvantaged backgrounds high-quality opportunities and support at the start of their career journey, In2scienceUK empowers them to achieve their potential and become the next generation of researchers, innovators and pioneers.

Improving Access to STEM Careers:

Increases the pipeline of UK STEM

There is an annual shortfall of 40,000 STEM skilled workers with the number of future technical jobs forecast to increase (UK Commission for Employment and Skills Report, 2017). Increasing the numbers of disadvantaged students in STEM careers is vital for the UK’s economic competitiveness (Broughton, 2013).

Promotes social mobility

As STEM workers typically earn 20% more than in other fields, getting more young people from low-income backgrounds into these professions promotes social mobility and fights economic inequality (Greenwood et al., 2011).

Builds a more diverse workforce

Businesses with diverse and inclusive cultures perform better financially, reduce staff turnover, and maintain increased creativity and problem solving capacity (Desvaux et al., 2007; Forbes Insights, 2011).

Increases science capital

There are economic, political and social benefits to increasing science capital in all sectors of the UK. In this technological age, it is vital that all people have the tools to communicate effectively, assess complex information and distinguish fact from fiction.