Do you or your students have a great idea for research that requires microscopic investigations?

We are working with the Royal Microscopical Society, the Natural History Museum, Hitachi High Technologies, the Gauntlet Trust, the Quekett Microscopial Club and Oxford Instruments to offer two portable scanning electron microscopes (SEM) to UK schools with bright ideas for innovative research.

This could be for a small group of students or an individual who needs a SEM for their project, perhaps even as part of their Extended Project Qualification (EPQ). Schools that submit the best research proposals will be awarded the instrument on loan for up to half a term.

The next round of applications will be open from 3 March until 30 April. Schools must already be fully registered with IRIS to apply and you can find the application form on the Resource Centre. SEMs will be available from autumn 2025.

A webinar about the SEM is taking place on Wednesday 12 March at 4pm; we recommend you attend if you are planning to apply for the SEM. If you are interested in using the SEM and have any questions then please contact us on info@researchinschools.org.