The Cell EXPLORERS Network
The Cell EXPLORERS national network is made of 12 teams constituted of members from 9 Institutions in Ireland:
8 Higher Education Institutions and 1 research centre. The 12 Cell EXPLORERS teams visit schools around their localities, with an emphasis of activities around Science Week. Science Foundation Ireland has funded our national network through several Discover strategic partnership Awards. All our regional teams are supported locally by their institutions. A widening participation project is now funded by the Medtronic Foundation.
University of Galway and its Foundation office have been supporting Cell EXPLORERS activities, including our international collaboration with the University of Katzulu-Natal.
How to learn more about your local Cell EXPLORERS teams?
Click on the link to their team page below!
How to request a school visit?
Find out which team is the closest to your school, go to their team page and find their contact details. You can also find the teams email address on the CONTACT US site.
If your school is far away from one of our teams, we might not be able to visit you in person. Since 2020, we have the ability to visit schools remotely through live onlline visits. Some of our teams are resuming in person visit in the classroom or on their campus.
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Cell EXPLORERS UKZN
International collaboration
Cell EXPLORERS MU
(currently not active)
Summary Activity reports
Click on the year below to access the corresponding summary reports.
A short history of the Cell EXPLORERS network expansion:
In 2015 and 2016, 4 teams based in the University of Limerick, TUS midlands (previously Athlone Institute of Technology), MTU Kerry (the Institute of Technology Tralee) and Dundalk Institute of Technology have joined the University of Galway team to form the first part of the Cell EXPLORERS network. You can find the infographic of the national Fantastic DNA roadshow 2016-17 here!
In May 2017, 5 more teams have joined us and have been trained at the Fantastic DNA session by visiting local primary schools. The new teams are based in ATU Donegal (previously Letterkenny IT), the UCD National Virus Reference Laboratory, Maynooth University, SETU Carlow (previously IT Carlow), and University College Cork. You can find the visual summary of the network activities in 2017-18 here!
In 2019, our network welcomed 3 new teams based in MTU Cork (previously Cork IT), TUS midwest (previously Limerick IT) and ATU Galway (GMIT) as well as a team-based in FutureNeuro, the SFI research centre for Chronic and Rare Neurological Diseases. FutureNeuro involves members of 5 higher education institutions (based in RCSI and including TCD, DCU, UCD and University of Galway). The Maynooth University team stopped its activity.
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This same year, we have started a collaboration with Dr Doras Sibanda, in the University of Kwatzulu-Natal in South Africa. Our first international partner team is currently piloting the Fantastic DNA school visits.
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In 2020, we were able to rapidely adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic isolation and distancing measures by designing new kits and online activites including Fantastic DNA in a Box and Fantastic DNA at home. This allowed us to be the only programme in Ireland to offer live online STEM activities for Science week 2020 in schools and in people's home.
Our network resumed in person activity from 2022, but kept the online offering allowing us to reach far away schools and to let teachers run Fantastic DNA on their own in their classroom would they want to.
The SETU (previously Carlow IT) stopped its network participation at the end of 2023.
Currently, our teams meet every year at their network national meeting to discuss their practices, impact and plan for the sustainable future of the network.
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