Public to get the chance to see world-leading science campus up close

Lucy Williams
·3-min read
A young girl enjoys her time at the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus <i>(Image: Harwell Science and Innovation Campus)</i>
A young girl enjoys her time at the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus (Image: Harwell Science and Innovation Campus)

For the first time in eight years the UK’s world-leading science and innovation campus at Harwell welcomed thousands of school children to explore world-leading science up close.

Harwell Science and Innovation Campus is a 700-acre site near Didcot where more than 200 organisations work on energy, space, health and quantum computing. 

This weekend will provide an opportunity for even more people to see first-hand where some of some of the world’s most pioneering research takes place as the doors are set to open to the public.

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Harwell commenced its open week on Tuesday and Wednesday this week by welcoming more than 2,000 students, ranging from primary school to sixth form.

The young people had the unique opportunity to go behind the scenes and discover some of the world’s most cutting-edge research through taking part in space-themed escape rooms, hands-on arts and crafts, lectures, and interactive workshops and tours with the UK’s national laboratories operated by the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC).

The students also met the scientists and technicians who are responsible for the biggest breakthroughs and discoveries on the UK’s behalf that have included in recent years the Nobel prize winning work of recording gravitational waves from the collision of black holes and also the detection of the Higgs boson at the Large Hadron Collider in CERN.

(Image: Harwell Science and Innovation Campus) The culmination of the week will be on Saturday (June 29) when Harwell opens its doors to the public.

The public day is a family-friendly event designed for people of all ages and backgrounds.

From those who are fascinated by space exploration, X-rays and neutrons, CERN and particle physics, supercomputing, lasers, and to anyone who is just curious to find out what goes on behind the scenes at one of the biggest scientific communities in the world.


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Scientists from all around the world come to Harwell to work with the more than 6,000 staff on site and use the world-leading facilities that allow them to contribute to pioneering research in health technology, clean energy, space and quantum computing.

In recent years, the campus has helped deliver on Covid vaccine research, designed and tested components for the James Webb Space Telescope, developed detectors for CERN’s Large Hadron Collider, and much more.

(Image: Harwell Science and Innovation Campus)

The Harwell Campus hosts the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory operated by STFC and includes the Central Laser Facility, ISIS Neutron and Muon Source, RAL Space, the Research Complex at Harwell, and Diamond Light Source.

Gianluigi Botton, CEO of Diamond Light Source said: "This week our staff and volunteers have been inspired by the student’s overwhelming enthusiasm and curiosity for the world changing science that takes place here at Diamond and the wider Harwell Campus.

"When we open our doors to the public this Saturday, June 29, we are hoping that they will also be as excited and enthusiastic as our young visitors over the last two days.”

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