A University of Nottingham-led project has been awarded funding to bring 3D design and printing into hospital education in England, with an initial 25 schools set to receive equipment and training.
The funding comes from a Royal Society Science Community Grant and the Julia Rausing Trust. It is intended to widen access to STEM education for children and young people who attend specialist schools because of complex health needs or extended hospital stays. The three-year effort is being delivered with the National Association for Hospital Education (NAHE). Engineers and scientists from universities around the country are supporting the work, helping staff gain the skills to run hands-on 3D design and printing projects.
Training and classroom plans
Under the initial phase, 25 schools will receive a 3D printer and take part in a national training programme led by Nottingham with support from local partner universities. The programme is scheduled to run across a term, using coordinated sessions organised around user-centred design, and to finish with a showcase event. Students will be encouraged to draw on their surroundings to identify product designs that could work better for them.
Ruth Goodridge, professor at Nottingham and project lead, said children who spend long periods in hospital or attend specialist schools often miss hands-on STEM experiences available to their peers. She described the project as a way to offer accessible 3D design and printing activities intended to broaden horizons, build confidence and develop skills. Hospital school staff report that illness can narrow a child's world, and that disrupted education, anxiety and low confidence can affect engagement, according to the university's account.
Goodridge added that 3D printing gives students a practical way to solve problems and create tangible objects, which can provide a sense of achievement when other parts of their lives feel beyond their control. The project is also intended to show young people possibilities for their future, not only teach new skills.
Rehabilitation link
The NIHR HealthTech Research Centre for Rehabilitation, led by Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, is partnering on the project. It will explore how 3D printing technologies might contribute to children's rehabilitation and recovery after serious illness or injury. That work is described as an exploration rather than a confirmed clinical application.
Stephen Deadman of NAHE said the project would provide practical experience with specialist equipment for children unable to access traditional school. He also pointed to benefits from working together within and between schools, including a sense of community and shared achievement.
The Royal Society's president, Sir Paul Nurse, framed the broader funding context around practical science in schools. He said most people first encounter science at school, and that practical work helps students experience the scientific process, weigh evidence and understand uncertainty. Embedding more practical science is, in his view, a step toward building future scientists and innovators and equipping citizens with scientific literacy.