STEM education crucial for Jena as a science and business location

Cutting acrylic stencils with a laser, experiencing thermals at an aviation camp, making pinhole cameras from tea cans or understanding how highlighters fluoresce - all of this is part of STEM education in Jena. Jena already offers numerous activities for children and young people in the fields of mathematics, computer science, natural sciences and technology (STEM for short). The previous STEM strategy from 2016 has now been updated. The new Jena STEM strategy for the years 2025 to 2028 was confirmed by the city council at its most recent meeting.

STEM education as the basis for competitiveness

"The future of our country depends largely on the strength of our education in the fields of mathematics, computer science, natural sciences and technology. A comprehensive STEM strategy is therefore not only an investment in innovation and competitiveness for us in Jena, but above all a commitment to equal opportunities, social justice and sustainable development",

says Head of Department Johannes Schleußner. His Department of Education, Youth, Culture and Sport is responsible for the STEM strategy. Schleußner sees the fact that the revised strategy was unanimously approved by the city council as a clear commitment by city politicians to Jena as a STEM region:

"The work of around 80 stakeholders and projects in Jena can be further developed on this strong foundation."

Financial support for a balanced offering

"STEM education is of outstanding importance for the development of Jena, especially as a scientific and economic region,"

emphasizes Schleußner. In order to take this importance into account, STEM education in Jena is managed and controlled by the municipality. The city provides appropriate resources for this. An important goal is to provide a broad and balanced range of different subject areas and formats for children and young people.

"I am therefore particularly pleased about the slight increase in funding for the Imaginata and witelo associations, both of which are indispensable cornerstones of our STEM education landscape in Jena,"

says the Head of Education. This step is a response to the clubs' personnel and operating costs, which have been rising for years. At the same time, a funding gap has arisen because the Student Research Center (SFZ) of witelo e.V. is receiving less funding from the state than before. The city will compensate for some of the cuts so that a large part of the SFZ's services can be maintained.

Witelo and Imaginata as important cornerstones of STEM education

The witelo network of science and technology learning centers in Jena promotes cooperation between schools, companies and extracurricular learning locations with the aim of promoting mathematics, science, technology and IT education. Together with partners, witelo offers working groups and project days at schools as well as vacation workshops, among other things.

"As a regional STEM network, we would like to thank the city of Jena for its long-standing and trusting cooperation, most recently in the creation of the STEM strategy,"

says Manuela Meyer, Chairwoman of the Board of the witelo association.

"STEM education is important for our society, for critical discourse, our economic strength and innovative developments. It needs committed people, financial support and structure,"

emphasizes Christian Neumann, head of the Imaginata association's station park.

"And that is precisely why we, as an education provider, are grateful for the city of Jena updating its STEM education strategy. It shows the importance of our educational work, is a sign of appreciation and at the same time gives us the necessary security for the coming years."

Background to the new STEM strategy

The new STEM strategy was preceded by numerous steps: The existing offers were analyzed, the previously funded providers were asked about their needs for the coming years, quality reports and discussions with stakeholders were evaluated. The result is a catalog of financial and content-related measures for the years 2025 to 2028. In addition to the diversity of services, important priorities include topics such as quality development, equal opportunities, child protection and networking. For example, the link between STEM and art and culture is to be strengthened. The integration of the tourism sector is also a central theme of the new strategy. The German Optical Museum (D.O.M.), which is currently being renovated and is set to become a national flagship for Jena following its refurbishment, is also an important building block.

"Our aim is to financially secure the existing STEM infrastructure and to continuously develop it further - especially in view of the tight budget situation,"

emphasizes department head Schleußner.