This year's Tech Know Clubs 2025: Science Centres for the Future challenge has officially come to a close, bringing together students from across Northern Ireland to explore how science centres may evolve over the next 25 years.
Led by W5, Northern Ireland's leading Science and Discovery centre, and proudly sponsored by Allstate, Tech Know Clubs continues to connect schools with industry mentors to develop digital skills through creative challenges. Now in its second decade, the programme remains focused on helping students use coding, teamwork, and design-thinking to solve problems and communicate ideas in new ways.
Designing the Future of Science Centres
To mark W5's 25th anniversary, this year's theme asked students to think ahead: what should science centres look like in the future?
Teams were challenged to design a three-page website showcasing their vision of a future science centre - one that is inclusive, sustainable, and engaging for all ages. Ideas ranged from interactive digital exhibits to community-focused learning spaces and new ways of using technology to make science more accessible.
The focus wasn't just on design, but on how coding and digital tools can be used to tell stories, share ideas, and inspire change.
A Real-World Digital Challenge
This year's competition featured 9 teams from across the region, including Strangford Integrated College, Breda Academy, Belfast Boys' Model, Foyle College, St. Patrick's College, St. Joseph's High School, Thornhill College, Glenlola Collegiate School, and Home Educators.
Each school entered a team of four students, supported by a teacher and guided through four training sessions with industry mentors. Using Go Berserk: Making Websites as a starting point, students developed their coding skills while building and refining their own websites.
The competition concluded with the Final Challenge Day on 26 March 2026, where teams recreated their websites in real time, putting their technical skills, creativity, and teamwork to the test under pressure.
Strong Ideas, Strong Competition
Across the board, the standard of work was high, with teams showing strong creativity, thoughtful design, and clear understanding of how science centres connect people with learning and discovery.
After careful judging, the results were announced:
1. Foyle College
2. Home Educators
A huge congratulations to both teams for their outstanding work. Foyle College impressed with a strong, well-executed concept that combined design and functionality, while the Home Educators team delivered a creative and thoughtful interpretation of the brief.
Skills That Go Beyond the Classroom
Beyond the websites, Tech Know Clubs continues to focus on building skills that matter for the future. Students developed confidence in coding, problem-solving, communication, and teamwork - skills that are increasingly important across STEM and digital industries.
The programme also connects directly to curriculum areas across ICT, Science, Employability, and Digital Technology, helping students see how classroom learning links to real-world challenges and careers.
Looking Back
This year's challenge highlighted just how creative and capable students can be when given the opportunity to design for real-world themes. From early ideas to finished websites, teams demonstrated resilience, imagination, and a strong understanding of how technology can be used for impact.
A huge thank you goes to all participating schools, teachers, mentors, and Allstate for supporting Tech Know Clubs 2025 and helping to make it such a success.
We're already looking forward to seeing what next year's challenge will bring!